Gold in the Summertime
by JennaBennett
Summary: Season 2 AU. We all remember the Season 2 finale. What if Beckett had ignored Gina showing up, bitten the bullet and said what she had intended to say? Castle, Gina and Beckett at the Hamptons. What could possibly go wrong? More to the point, what could possibly go right?
1. Chapter 1

Gold in the Summertime

 **AN: We all remember the Season 2 finale. What if Beckett had ignored Gina showing up, bitten the bullet and said what she had intended to say? With that in mind, some lines in this initial chapter are directly from that episode.**

" _Oh let's keep this going  
I wanna go all in  
We'll never be lonely in the dark_

 _Nobody loves you  
The way that I do  
The way you shine through  
Gold in the summertime"_

 _Gold in the Summertime, Matt Nathanson._

"Hey," Lanie shoved the boys, "you're gawking, it's rude and a touch disturbing." Ryan and Esposito grudgingly separated themselves from window. There were matching rounded patches of fog coating the window where they had had their faces pressed to the glass. Montgomery chuckled. Lanie, hero of privacy that she was, merely repositioned herself in what had been the boys prime position to watch the scene unfolding before her. What was her girl up to? Beckett stood in the hallway, hands twisting nervously as she looked at her feet. Lanie could see from the dips and dives of her cheekbones that she was speaking, but for the life of her, couldn't get a glimpse of her lips to try and make out the words. Maybe if she shuffled slightly to the left...

"Lanie, you're gawking, it's _very_ rude," Ryan chortled. Lanie shot him an impressive stare, his grin ebbed slightly at the edges. She turned her attention back to the hallway, she had a clearer shot at reading Castle's lips.

"Me too..." she mouthed, attempting to replicate Castle's words.

"What you saying?" Esposito asked, moving back to the window, following Lanie's gaze.

"I'm trying to figure out what they're saying," she murmured, eyes still squinting at Castle's lips.

"Well, what are they saying?"

"I don't know," Lanie growled. "Anyone else think something weird is going down?"

"Definitely," Ryan motioned Lanie to look his way. "Now, I'm not a gossip or snoop like you two, clearly."

"Clearly," Montgomery pointed to the fading patch of breath from when Ryan's face had been pressed up to the window. Lanie laughed lightly, nodding in approval of the Captain's suggestion.

"I am or may not have witnessed a possible break-up between Beckett and Demming earlier."

"No way..." Lanie breathed, "my girl is finally going for it. About ti – "

"Lanie," Esposito hissed, gesturing wildly past the window. "What is that?"

"That... That is a spanner in the works," Lanie sighed as a busty, blonde woman materialised at Castle's side. Lanie couldn't read Beckett's face, but she could almost see her shoulder's deflate at the woman's appearance.

"Oh..." Ryan gaped. "That's Gina Cowell." Three pairs of eyes flicked to him. "Castle's ex-wife..."

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

"Yeah, I wanted to say, have a great summer..." Beckett mentally berated herself, so not what she had wanted to say. What the hell was Gina doing here? Worst timing ever.

"You too, and like you said, it's...it's been really, really great," Castle smiled softly in response. But it was strained, it didn't reach his eyes, it didn't crinkle the corner of his mouth. Beckett could tell. That had to mean something. She could also tell that Gina had no idea that this entire conversation was a front, the unsaid burning beneath the surface, the words voiced merely a cover.

"Yeah, it has." At least that much was true. Better than great. Castle extended his hand. Beckett frowned, two years of friendship, partnership, whatever, and not even a hug. Maybe it had meant less to him? She took his outstretched hand in hers and fought a shudder at the tingling electricity that coursed through her entire body. Great. That was just great. She maybe, kind of, sort of had a little, tiny, insignificant thing for Castle and he was leaving with his ex-wife... and she was just letting him walk away... "See you in the fall?"

"See you in the fall," Castle mirrored, without meaning. Oh god. He wasn't sure. He was leaving. He had his arm around his ex-wife and was walking away. And she was standing here, gaping after him, eyes wide with shock.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

"How the hell did you know that?" Lanie murmured, shaking her head at Ryan.

"You are the biggest goddamn fan boy," Esposito muttered. Ryan glared at him.

"This just reflects that I am the most cultured amongst us and actually take the time to read the newspaper," Ryan replied smugly.

"Bro, I just don't waste time reading page six... Celebrity gossip is about the furthest away from cultured I can imagine." Ryan's smile slipped slightly.

"Well, maybe I'm just interested on what the tabloids report about Castle seeing as how he's our friend. Plus, his image is tied to the precinct these days. It's in our best interest to know what's supposedly going on with him," Ryan rambled, too late to save himself from Esposito's condescending chuckle.

"Oh," Lanie gasped. "Castle's walking away." Ryan redirected his interest in Castle to watching his friend's retreat.

"Did Beckett just – " Esposito gaped.

"I think so," Lanie almost squealed.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"Wait," she half-whispered, the word sliding through her lips, without her conscious permission. Her brain caught up. "Castle, wait," it was still weak. She swallowed roughly. "Cas – " she started again, with some volume. It wasn't necessary, he had already heard her. He turned and gazed at her with an odd expression. She felt flushed. She hoped the colour was draining from her face as opposed to crawling up it. She swallowed nervously again. Castle strode back towards her, Gina following curiously in his wake. Excellent, they were all going to do this, how fun.

"Kate?" Castle questioned gently, reaching a respectable distance from her. His hand jerked and she almost imagined that he was fighting back the urge to reach for her. Maybe there was still hope?

"That's not what I wanted to tell you," she asserted, her confidence returning to her.

"Okay," Castle nodded, an invitation to continue.

"It's probably too little too late," her eyes darted in Gina's direction. The blonde, examining her nails in a studious display of not listening in on the conversation before her. Beckett sighed, but pressed on, "but, I was considering taking you up on your offer after all." Castle gasped, his hands flying to his mouth in shock.

"Are you kidding, Beckett? That's the greatest!" he beamed. His faced dropped, the glittering of his eyes dulling over. "Wait. What about Demming?" She could see him mentally distancing himself from the conversation, his smile fading. Beckett shrugged.

"I, uh, broke up with him," she whispered, her eyes darting to Gina once again. His ex-wife frozen now, intently listening to the conversation, her gaze still averted in feigned disinterest. Castle was nodding at Beckett, as if waiting for her to continue. "It just wasn't right, you know? He was lovely, but he wasn't right. Maybe, it was that Ying Ying thing you mentioned." Castle cleared his throat.

"Well, that settles it. You have to come. You can't sit around by yourself on Memorial Day and mope about your break-up. You need sunshine and good company. Oh, and marshmallows!" Castle absolutely grinned, his eyes shining an even brighter shade of blue. Gina tensed behind him.

"Rick... You have a novel to finish," Gina reminded him tersely, "I don't think guests will aide in that process." Her eyes flashed onto Beckett, harsh and unrelenting. Castle missed the bite in her tone, still beaming.

"This will do my writing wonders, Gina. I'm bringing my muse with me. How can it not improve my writing? I'm already feeling inspired," his eyes hadn't left Beckett since she'd told him she'd dumped Demming... for him. That was implied, right? She had dumped Demming's sorry arse for him, charming and ruggedly handsome, Richard Castle. Best day ever.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"What's he saying now?" Esposito hissed, his breath warm at Lanie's ear.

"Shush," she chided. "I can only lip read as well as you."

"So, poorly?" Ryan added.

"Shut it, honey-milk," they trilled in unison.

"Nice, very Castle and Beckett," Ryan grinned. Lanie blushed, just ever so slightly, hoping that no one caught it. "Anyway, looks to me like Castle's saying something about marshmallows."

"What the hell, Ryan?"

"Why would he be talking about marshmallows?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'm just saying that's what it looked like. It is Castle after all, anything goes."

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"Uh-huh," Gina groused. "We're only entertaining your guest for the weekend, right Ricky?" Gina purred, "the rest of the summer is just for us."

"Right," Castle responded automatically, his eyes still locked on Beckett, who was beginning to flush an excellent shade of pink, the coloured skin crawling up her neck. "Although, Beckett, if you need more time to recover from your break-up, just say the word. You're welcome to stay as long as you like." Gina's scowl widened. This was not the summer she had in mind. Beckett's flush strengthened, it was a lovely shade of lobster. Castle liked it, somehow made her seem more human, more on his level. A lovely equaliser. "How quickly can you pack, Beckett? The traffic will be terrible later this evening, but if you need time to pack, we can wait." Maybe that was too eager? Oh, who cared. He _was_ too eager. Plus, Beckett was smiling softly at him, like it was worth taking the shot and calling him back. He was so damn excited. He felt sharp fingernails dig into his arm. "Ow, hey!" He finally took his eyes from Beckett and faced a furious Gina. She was glowing too and in a completely different way to Beckett, more of a glower. It was way less cute.

"We need to go now, Rick. The traffic will be absolutely horrendous. Maybe the detective can meet us out there later," Gina smiled sweetly, her tone laced with venom. Castle opened his mouth to protest, but Beckett cut him off –

"Gina's right. You two should go. I'll drive out in the morning. I haven't packed a thing." Gina smiled triumphantly, her grip on Castle's arm tightening. He shrugged her off, stepping towards Beckett.

"Don't change your mind, okay?" he hugged her tightly, but briefly. "See you tomorrow, Kate." Not one to waste an opportunity, at least not today, Beckett pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek as he pulled away. Quick as it may have been, she could taste the excitement coating Castle's stubbled cheek. His hand unconsciously floated to his face, pressing to the spot that Beckett's lips had touched moments ago.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"They're hugging?" Ryan gaped.

"We can see that," Esposito sighed.

"But what do you think it means? Is it a goodbye hug? Is it 'I just professed my undying love' kind of hug? Why can't we hear anything in here!" Ryan restrained himself from opening the door and interrupting the scene unfolding before him, although it was very tempting.

"If only we were better at damned lip reading. Marshmallows," she shook her head at Ryan. "Useless."

"Bro, would a conversation about marshmallows really lead to a hug like that?" Esposito flicked his thumb in the direction of Castle and Beckett, despite the fact that they could be clearly seen by all.

"It was just a guess," Ryan lamented. "Think about it, m-aar-sh-ma-ll-ows..." his mouth slowly forming each syllable. "There's nothing else that makes those shapes. Gotta be it." He continued mouthing the word as Lanie shook her head at him.

"How about we focus on what's at hand?"

"Oh my god. She kissed him!" Ryan squealed at a very masculine pitch.

"On the cheek..." Esposito hedged.

"Still," Lanie murmured, "good for her."

"Wait... He's still leaving? That Gina woman is grabbing at his hand." Esposito mumbled, eyes bearing into Castle's arm as Gina attempted to pull him away.

"What is happening?" Ryan groaned.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"Until tomorrow, Castle," she almost whispered, before slipping from the hallway back into the party. He watched her go, his eyes following her as Lanie accosted her the second she entered the room. He saw the look of concern before Lanie was hugging her. The boys pretended not to be staring, but all eyes in the room were on her. He watched Esposito's eyes flick to him as Gina tugged him away from the window.

He was regretting inviting Gina so intensely, especially as she dug her talons into him and dragged him further away from Beckett. He wondered just how socially improper it would be to un-invite her right this moment. He released a strangled sigh; Gina continued tugging on his arm. It was fine. He'd just remind Gina that she was invited as an old friend, and a current publisher. Nothing more, nothing less. Their conversation the night before hadn't been _that_ leading. It would be fine.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

"Kate?" Lanie entreated gently, hugging her friend. Beckett gave her a soft smile.

"Lanie. What are you doing tonight? Will you come over and help me pack?"

"Help you pack..." Lanie repeatedly lamely.

"Yeah," Beckett flashed her a lopsided grin. "I'm heading out to Castle's Hamptons house tomorrow." Esposito's shriek was muffled by Ryan's awkward squeal, the girls turned to stare as the boys both proceeded to cough loudly. Ryan patted Esposito's back.

"Bro..."

 **AN: This chapter is a bit rough around the edges. I haven't written in over a year. That said, I have high hopes the next chapter will be slightly more interesting so stick with me if you're interested in a Beckett/Gina throwdown (of sorts).**


	2. Chapter 2

Kate Beckett was nervous. Extremely nervous. In that permanently gnaw your bottom lip kind of way. It made her feel keyed up and exhausted all in the one breath. That much adrenaline buzzing under the surface was surely detrimental to her health. What had she done? Somehow, she'd crashed Castle's date with his ex-wife. Well, hopefully "date" really wasn't what Castle had in mind when it came to Gina. Oh god. Really? What the hell had she done? Cool. Now she was practically hyperventilating. Splendid. Maybe if she got it all out of her system now she'd be confident and kick-ass by the time tomorrow rolled around? She was tentatively forming a battle plan that essentially comprised of a whole lot of flirting. Probably touching? She was going to have to get more confident with the touching. That was a good idea. It certainly didn't steady her pulse. God. She needed to get that in check. Otherwise, she was going to be a disaster, like a sweaty, pimpled teenager on a first date level of disaster. Hopefully Castle would find sheer awkwardness endearing? She would be fine. She would be fine. It was a solid mantra. She was sticking to it. How hard could it be? It wasn't like she flirted with Castle on a daily basis as it was? Okay, maybe it _was_ exactly like that. She flirted with Castle so damn much. It was their banter, right? Oh, she was a bad person. Why had she even dated Demming? Seriously, why? It was unethical when she was so content to flirt with Castle at every passing opportunity. She was damned to hell.

She sighed, long and evidently frustrated. Lanie was watching her curiously, waiting for her to speak or act or _something_. She should probably drag herself back to the present and make a legitimate attempt to pack. She could worry about tomorrow more when it was tomorrow... Beckett pressed her eyes shut momentarily, grasping the bridge of her nose with the tips of her fingers. She sighed again, then turned to her gaze to Lanie, offering a weak smile. Her friend answered it, concern etched in her stare. Beckett hummed and returned her focus to the open drawer before her; she plucked some fabric from it, without really considering exactly what she had clasped in her hand. Lanie, on the other hand, considered it extensively.

"That one. You have to take that one. No competition," Lanie nodded appraisingly at the swimsuit Beckett was holding in front of her. She was glad Lanie was grinning at her; it brought her back to the present and away from all her thoughts of complete mental breakdown over the impending doom – _success?_ – that was coming when she saw Castle and the bimbo tomorrow.

"Do you want to see it on before you decide? It's pretty, uh, skimpy," Beckett worried her teeth between her bottom lip, gazing at the strappy bikini, indecision playing across her features. Although, in her mind's eye she was picturing the way Castle would look at her. The way the emerald green swimsuit left _very_ little to the imagination. His pulse would speed up, his eyes would bulge, he would gasp and splutter. He would splay his large hands across the bare flesh of her back and pull her to him...and then he would, well, even the imagined her blushed brighter than a beetroot. Fantastic. It was a good sign when even the fantasized version of herself couldn't hold it together. This was going to be an interesting weekend. Her body would be in high-strung overdrive. If she didn't spontaneously combust from her thoughts before she even made it to the Hamptons.

"Sounds extra perfect," her friend beamed. She tugged the shiny fabric from Beckett's grasp and deposited into the open bag with flourish. "There, packed."

"Ah, Lanie. I was thinking about taking more than one swimsuit." _Maybe some lingerie_ , her internal dialogue supplied. More likely something high cut to disguise the nervous, hive-like blush that was sure to coat her chest every second she spent out there. She was never this nervous about a guy. _One and done_ , her mind whispered. She really needed a mute button for that thing. All this imagining was doing her head in.

"Mmm, yeah girl, you might need a spare after writer boy tears that one off you," Lanie teased, eyes sparkling with mirth. _If only_ , Beckett's brain screeched in response.

"Lanie," Beckett sighed.

"What? Oh fine, pack a toothbrush too, that might come in handy," Lanie flounced from her perched position on the edge of the bed, to Beckett's ensuite, tossing a toothbrush across the room. Despite not vocalising it, Beckett desperately hoped she was right on that account. For the kissing Castle thing, obviously, because of course she needed a toothbrush, what kind of monster didn't brush their teeth?

"Lanie! You're incorrigible," Beckett muttered, her dark tone a contrast to the giggles smouldering under the surface. "Plus, now I need a new toothbrush." She was _not_ putting that thing anywhere near her mouth now that it had bounced across her bedroom floor. So not sanitary.

"No need to call names," Lanie shrugged. "You needed a new toothbrush anyway. Dental hygiene, 101."

"Under the sink, thanks," Lanie fetched her a new toothbrush as Beckett grinned and tossed a t-shirt into her bag. It had a solid neckline, probably good for when she caught fire and turned a delightful shade of lava. Like if Castle spoke to her. Or touched her. Or looked at her. She was done for.

"Um, what was that?" Lanie glared at Beckett's bag, distaste lacing her tone.

"A t-shirt...and what's your problem with that?" Her eyes rolled, with that patented Beckett stare. She was not backing down. The t-shirt was coming. Just in case of implosion. It was an essential.

"Not. Enough. Skin." Lanie enunciated carefully, clicking her tongue with each word.

"Oh grow up," Beckett shoved her friend gently. Lanie continued giving seriously side-eye to the plain t-shirt shoved into the top of the open bag. She looked up at Beckett in a genuine show of concern, t-shirt objection aside.

"Seriously though girl," Lanie tugged Beckett onto the bed beside her, "you okay with all this? I mean Castle is one thing, but his ex-wife out there too? What's the plan?"

"Be my usual charming self," Beckett smirked, before her features softened and uncertainty reached her eyes. "I don't know, I mean there's something with Castle, right? You can see that?" Lanie had certainly teased enough in the past that she could see it. Surely that meant something. She didn't tease her like that about anyone else. She did have an exclusive front row seat to Castle and Beckett's _whatever-ing_ though.

"Oh please, your sexual tension with that man could power an entire city," Lanie rubbed her friend's back reassuringly. "You got nothing to worry about there. Did he say why the sudden Gina reappearance?" At Lanie's reminder Beckett groaned, her mood souring just slightly once again. It was one thing to go after Castle all on her own, it was another thing entirely now that his ex-wife had shown up in the picture. Why, today of all days did she make her resurgence? Just as Beckett was on the cusp of admitting _something_ about feeling _something_ to Castle. Fine, she liked him. Whatever. She could admit that to herself now. _Progress_.

"They 'reconnected' over the phone last night," Beckett quirked her fingers in sloppy air quotations.

"Gross," Lanie paused, deliberating her next words... "Do you think she's there as ex-wife keen to reignite the passion or publisher chasing the next book?"

"I don't know," Beckett deflated, slumping on the bed as Lanie reached a consoling arm around her. "I really don't know. Is it my place to go for it? Am I stopping something that's more real than what Castle and I have?" _Or is she just a distraction, like that excuse of a relationship I just had with Demming?_ She left that unsaid, as she mulled over her thoughts silently for a moment as Lanie paused, carefully planning her next words.

"Kate. Their marriage broke down for a reason. I don't see Castle as someone who chases the past. He seems to go for what's in front of him. He hasn't been following after you for the past two years for research alone. Hell, he's got more than enough research to write a hundred books," Lanie chuckled gently. Beckett's detective senses went into overdrive. _Weird._

"That's pretty much exactly what Espo said to me today," Beckett eyed her friend with a hint of humour.

"Well, great minds and all that..." Lanie blushed. _Definitely weird._

"Something you not telling me?" Beckett grinned, "do I need to give Espo the talk."

"Please girl, we're talking about your love-life here. Can we focus on one thing at once?" Lanie bristled.

"One thing at once, hey? So you admitting you and Espo are a _thing_?" Beckett nudged her friend with a fierce smile. She was so onto it, there was definitely an Espo and Lanie vibe going down. Espo...Lanie...Esplanie. Ha. She chuckled internally at that. Esplanie had some _es-plaining_ to do. She would grill her friend more intently after the weekend. It was more fun if she gave Lanie some time to think of some lame cover that she'd see right through... Plus, she was too tied up in Castle at this very moment to even begin to consider thinking straight.

"I swear, it's the last time I do you a favour. Next time you beg me to help you pack your sexy clothes for your lover I am out. I will not stand for this kind of interrogation," Lanie prickled, but her lips quirked upwards.

"Not my lover," Beckett sighed. _Yet_.

"Yet," Lanie sing-songed in response, as if reading Beckett's mind. She grabbed her best friend's hand ecstatically, "so, back to the plan of attack, other than wandering around in your skimpiest bikini the entire weekend? Although, personally, I think that's a pretty foolproof approach," she smirked.

"I suppose, the first thing I'm going to have to do is suss out Gina's agenda. Maybe she's there solely as frustrated publisher waiting on the next novel?" Beckett was back to worrying her teeth between her bottom lip. That poor lip was in for a beating over the next couple of days if her nerves kept up like this. She chanced a glance and Lanie who was shaking her head sympathetically.

"Girl. She was laying a claim on Castle earlier in the precinct. Writer boy will still have marks in his arm from her damn claws, although," Lanie smirked, "I don't think Castle even noticed. His eyes were all over you."

"So what do I do?" Beckett's skin was flushing again at the mere mention of Castle's gaze. She could recall an eager sparkle of thoughts when she'd called Castle back...and then he had hugged her and it was almost like she'd been electrocuted. But in a very, _very_ pleasant way. Jolts of electricity coursing through your body was supposed to feel fantastic, right? She was so far gone. She needed the best damn battle plan ever. She didn't believe for a second that Castle was actually interested in seriously hooking back up with his ex-wife. From what he'd mentioned about the woman, it was more like he feared her. In a professional annoyance kind of way. But nothing like the professional annoyance she merely pretended to feel for him on occasion. Castle and Gina's professional relationship and personal for that matter seemed devoid of a deeper undercurrent lying below the flirting. It was fake, airy between them. Not like her and Castle. She realised Lanie was staring at her, ready to answer her question. She dragged herself from her thoughts and looked squarely at her friend.

"You gotta lay your claim too," Lanie entreated fiercely, grasping Beckett's hand between both of her own. "All in, Kate. No mixed signals. No more confusion."

"Mmm," Beckett's eyes met Lanie's in steely determination. "That I can do." She zipped her duffel bag with flourish and flung it on the floor. Lanie nodded, hugged her tightly.

"Good luck sweetie," she whispered as she rose to leave.

"Thanks," Beckett's quiet parting word followed Lanie from the room. She stared into her empty apartment for a moment. The silence suddenly overwhelming. She could do this. She hadn't just lied to her best friend; she wouldn't let Richard Castle make a liar out of her. She lay down on her bed and tugged the comforter up around her chin. She was surprised to find that sleep found her a within minutes. The thoughts raging through her mind settled with becoming vivid dreams. She slept deeply, visions of one man dancing through her unconscious.

 **AN: Thank you to the lovely response to the first chapter. I so appreciate everyone who took the time to follow and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was still well before dawn when Beckett woke. She tossed. She turned. She looked at her watch on the bedside table. She gave up. She got up. She showered quickly, washing her hair and shaving her legs – game ready. Pulling a light, summer dress from her wardrobe, she dressed in the dull light from her bedside table. She contemplated breakfast, but was too nervous, she would get a coffee on the road. She didn't feel like riding her bike out to the Hamptons, that meant jeans and the grime of streets plastering itself to her skin as she went. Besides, no one would mind if she took the cruiser, it was just for the weekend. She'd parked it on the street the night before so she tossed her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

The air was crisp, the early morning stillness beating the sun. Beckett unlocked the cruiser and stiffened as a car door opened and footfalls fell in behind her.

"Miss Beckett?" an elderly man dressed in a simple suit was gazing at her quizzically.

"Yes?" she answered reluctantly, her tone coloured with hesitation. She knew she was staring, but there was something familiar about the man and she couldn't place it.

"Good morning, ma'am. I work for the car service that Mr Castle uses. He hired me to escort you to his house in the Hamptons today," he glanced at his watch, eyebrows raising at the pre-dawn hour.

"Er... Early riser," Beckett grimaced awkwardly. "Cast – Mr Castle paid you to meet me here? What time did he say?"

"He said he wasn't sure what time and paid me triple to watch for you. Lucky I showed up when I did, would've missed you otherwise," the man chuckled.

"Right. Okay," Beckett mumbled. The man took that as acquiesce and gently tugged Beckett's bag from her arm. She relocked the cruiser and stumbled after the man. The man who she was about to share a car ride with. "Sorry," she caught his attention, "I missed your name?"

"Thomas," he smiled. "Watch your head, Miss Beckett," he opened the door of the sleek, black sedan motioning for her to slide inside.

"Please, call me Kate," she murmured, clicking her seatbelt into place. Castle had sent a car for her? She swirled the thought through her mind. That was sweet. Also, something that under normal circumstances she'd probably chide him for. That was a contrast to the glow of appreciation she felt burning deep within her, she was genuinely touched by the move. It was super thoughtful. She wondered, absentmindedly, if he would've sent a car for Gina if she was forced to stay in the city an extra night. She quickly banished the thought. It didn't matter. He had sent a car for her. That was what counted. She wanted to text him and thank him, but it was still so early and she didn't want to disturb him... and Gina? She shuddered at that thought. She realised she had no idea what Castle's Hampton's house looked like, she wondered how many rooms it had. Surely enough for Gina to have her own room. Also, big enough for her to have her own room she begrudgingly mused.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX_

The rest of the ride passed in amicable silence. The main conversational point centring on a slight detour for coffee. Beckett savoured hers, it was nowhere near as good as her usual, hand-delivered to her by her writer, however, she breathed the aroma in deeply nonetheless. It settled her. Calmed her nerves. She was prepared to face the day. Sipping her coffee languidly brought with it a readiness akin to having her piece strapped to her side before heading to work... or battle. Same, same.

The car pulled into the drive of a house – mansion, really – perched on the edge of the ocean. Beckett suppressed a gasp at the sight. The last vestiges of dawn were leaving the horizon, the sun settled low in the sky, ready for the coming day. The beams of light pressing into her eyes with a sharpness that signalled the day had begun, it was no longer ebbing at the edges, stuck between night and day. She pulled herself almost a little reluctantly from the car, hesitant to break the radiating beauty of the stillness. Although, as she stood beside the car, stretching her weary muscles from sitting stiffly, a light ocean breeze tugged wisps of hair across her face. She tucked a few strands behind her ear delicately with her fingers, before giving up, reaching into her bag and shoving her sunglasses on top of her head to hold her hair in place. She was beach ready. The heat of summer no longer a burden, but a blessing. She was glad she had come, regardless of the whole Castle _situation_ , there was an instant calm that came from standing beside the ocean. It was soothing. She was already breathing more deeply, the salty air expanding her lungs. She smiled, unchecked.

"Thanks Thomas," she beamed, taking her bag from his extended arm.

"No problem, Miss Kate," he handed her a card. "This is my number, Mr Castle said he will call when you are ready to go back to the city. But you can call now too, if you prefer." He tipped his hat to her, she extended her hand and he shook it firmly. With that, he was gone. The tires crunched on the gravel as he pulled away and then there was silence. Beckett breathed in the ocean breeze a few seconds longer before turning her attention to door.

The closer she got to it, the more it seemed to loom over her. That wasn't intimidating at all. She chanced a glance back over her shoulder and saw that Thomas was long gone. No escaping it. Time for that kick-ass thing that apparently Castle thought she was. That was who she needed to be today, the version of herself that Castle always managed to see, fearless and driven. She could do that.

She clenched her hand into a fist and rapt on the door with her knuckles. The resounding sound was louder than she anticipated and she grimaced quickly, shaking out her fist and straightening her arm by her side. Plausible deniability. Only then did she notice the doorbell. Whoops. Not an outstanding start. She considered pressing that too, but figured she'd probably made more than enough noise attempting to smash down the door so she left it at that. She wondered how long it took someone to answer the door in a mansion. The seconds, standing on the landing were beginning to drag on and on. She strained her ears for any sign of movement beyond the thick, timber door. Nothing. She tugged her phone from her pocket to glance at the time, still early. Maybe she should call him? She scrolled quickly to her recent calls and tried to ignore the fact that the list was ninety percent Castle. She clicked onto his name, pressed her phone to her ear, but before the rings had started, the door jerked open and there he was. She dumbly ignored the phone as it began ringing, letting her hand drop limply to her side as she gaped at him.

Castle looked bleary eyed, rubbing a hand through his ruffled hair. He grinned at her through the haze.

"Beckett," more of a yawn than a word. "C'mm in," he added with a mumble. She tried to force her brain back into function mode. It wasn't happening. He didn't seem to notice that he was standing before her practically naked. Well, he had boxers on, but it was as good as naked. His chest was naked. So _naked_. So _beautiful_. She couldn't drag her eyes away from his chest. She just continued gaping. She pulled her lips together, or at least attempted to because they snapped back open. She was like a damn goldfish, opening and closing her mouth, no air entering and no words escaping. It was an eternity and yet she still didn't have enough time to regain control of her senses. Her eyes desperately traced the planes of his chest, then dipped and crawled over his waistband, before continuing south. Her gaze ravenous. Oh, her tongue did that thing without her permission. She so did not allow it to dart from her mouth and lick her bottom lip as she decimated the man with her eyes.

Castle finally seemed to wake up enough to notice that his detective was devouring him with her gaze. He gulped nervously, running a hand over his no longer steadily beating heart. His movement seemed to startle her back to reality. She blinked slowly before sucking her bottom lip into her gorgeous mouth and chewing it slowly. Oh, to be that lip. She finally caught his eyes and blushed, ashamed at her overt ogling. He certainly wasn't, she could look at him like that any day. No, no, _every_ day. He would insist on it.

"Hi Castle," she murmured softly, releasing her lip to offer an apologetic smile.

"Come in," he repeated more coherently. He reached for her and she froze, but instead of touching her, he gently tugged her bag from her grasp and ushered her inside. "Tour or breakfast?"

"Both," she tried to tamper down her disappointed as he shrugged on a t-shirt. "Where's Gina," she added hesitantly, eyes flicking in all directions, angst settling in her stomach. Maybe Castle's chest wasn't hers to leer at? Castle shrugged in response.

"Who cares. Sleeping I guess." That didn't sound like the words of someone who'd shared a bed with her and Beckett breathed a little easier in return. Castle was clearly still tired, as he led her round the majestic house, gesturing at rooms, he barely strung more than a sentence together. She was no better merely umming and arring in response. Her heart began beating a regular rhythm once again as he showed her his empty room...bed...

"That view... Castle... It's breathtaking..." the master bedroom opened up to reveal huge windows overlooking the ocean. It was gorgeous. Although, the fact his rumpled bed clearly had been slept in by him and did not hold the sleeping form of Gina was cause for much more of her wide-eyed elation.

"Huh, oh yeah. It's great," Castle agreed automatically, refusing to take his eyes away from the real breathtaking sight – Beckett in a practically sheer light blue dress, the sun dancing across her face and she gazed out to sea. Absolutely spectacular, and she was here. He almost squealed just thinking about it. "Breakfast?" he needed to busy his hands, otherwise he was going to do something that Beckett might not be ready for. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his side to stop him from reaching out for her. Baby steps. She was here. That was a big enough deal as it was. He still felt as if it was up to her to make the next move, he didn't want to push her in case she left, running and screaming as she went.

Beckett ran her fingertips delicately over the back of his hand, startling him from his reprieve. She nodded towards the kitchen and he threw caution to the wind, spinning his hand to clutch at her fingertips gently. She flinched from the shock of it, but didn't pull away, allowing him to lead her ecstatically to the kitchen.

She wondered if he could feel her pulse beating in her fingers, she could feel the damn thing drumming a frantic beat. It slammed through her body, she was sure if he couldn't feel it then he could probably hear it. She wasn't sure it had even beat this fiercely before. At least she wasn't blushing as dramatically as she'd envisioned the night before. That was something? God, if he did this to her merely touching her hand. She shivered at the thought of what more touching could do to her.

Breakfast was a surprisingly domestic affair. In a way, they'd had practice. She'd stayed with him for a few days after her apartment had blown up. That wasn't that long ago, but it was different somehow. For one, she was much, _much_ more sure of what she wanted... and it wasn't just the pancakes Castle was steadily pouring into the pan. She should stop wasting time. She had an opportunity now, it was just the two of them and who knows how long that would last? She had a feeling, 'two's company, three's a crowd,' would be her mantra for the weekend.

"Cas - " she started, before releasing a low groan and running her fingers roughly through her hair. Great, just great. Perfect timing. Gina flounced effortlessly into the kitchen, her blonde hair pulled into a messy up-do, her shoulders bare, apart from the lacy straps of her glossy negligee.

"Morning Ricky," she purred, running a hand possessively across his back. Castle shuddered. Gina interpreted it as sexual chemistry, Beckett interpreted as fear. Castle looked as if he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. "Oh, Detective Beckett," Gina added, her smile tightening. Beckett felt hers wither away entirely in response.

 **AN: How annoying is it when a chapter ends when it's just starting to get interesting... The next chapter should be fun. Thanks for reading! Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 2, my laptop is currently undertaking a long, drawn out process of dying so I will reply to you all individually in the coming days (when it has moments of lucidity...)**


	4. Chapter 4

Beckett was sure her glower was radiating around the room and warming it up several degrees. She tried to keep it in check, really she did. But Gina just seemed so _comfortable_ here, it was sickening. Not to mention vastly unfair. As if in tune with her tumultuous thoughts, Gina deftly snatched Castle's fork from between his finger. She licked it purposefully, tasting the syrup that had just been in Castle's mouth with an exaggerated smacking of her lips. Beckett's thoughts turned murderous as Gina continued in her assault on Castle's breakfast by stabbing a piece of pancake from his plate and shoving it into her stupid mouth. She may have looked like she'd just gotten out of bed, but there was a definite sheen of gloss on those _stupid_ plump lips. Beckett was reasonable enough to admit that she loathed the woman who seemed determined to interrupt every moment of progress that she had with Castle. _Total bitch_.

Whilst Beckett was busy shooting Gina daggers out of the corner of her eye and studiously eating her own breakfast, managing to very deliberately making of show of ignoring Gina's act, Castle on the other hand, appeared to be somewhat shell-shocked by the interruption. He had been having _such_ a nice time with Beckett. She had been soft and open. She seemed to be laughing more and staring more openly at him and it was magic, unicorns and rainbows all rolled into one. But now, Gina was perched beside him, his hand still hung limply in the air grasping pointlessly for a fork that was no longer there. His pancake, tarnished by Gina's presence, no longer seemed appealing. He had a knot settling in the bottom of his stomach. He needed to un-invite Gina and pronto. He needed a plan. He couldn't piss her off too much, she _was_ his damn publisher after all. Not a good person to get entirely on his bad side. What to do? What to do? _What to do_?

He was flummoxed. The knot in his stomach got thicker, he glanced guiltily at Beckett, so ashamed for this interruption that he had caused. He should've had more faith. He should've known Beckett would need more time to come around. But she'd had plans with Demming – _Schlemming_ and there had seemed to be no hope. So he'd panicked and well, now his ex-wife was here. His keen to reconnect ex-wife... She'd made that much clear last night, attempting to worm her way into his bed for ' _old time's sake, Rrrrricky_ ', he'd had to very, _very_ forcefully suggest that she sleep in his mother's room and not his.

He needed time to figure this out. He needed to stall.

"Err..." his voice came out strained and weak, he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm going to jump in the shower. Be back soon," he rose jerkily, his chair screeching perilously across the floor. He steadied it before it fell. Leaving Beckett and Gina together wasn't ideal, but he certainly wasn't about to invite Gina up with him. Beckett would probably run back to the city quicker than Castle could ask her he ruefully thought.

The tension in the air was palpable as he made his hasty retreat, although, both women remained poised as if denying that it existed. Gina had a smug air to her countenance, as if she'd accomplished something by awkwardly getting all up in his breakfast business. Beckett was harder to read, but he swore he could detect a level of seething beneath the surface, hopefully directed at Gina? The tone had definitely changed the moment Gina had entered the room. In fact, before Gina's unwelcome interruption, Beckett had been gazing at him timidly as if she were about to say something that both scared and thrilled her. Bloody Gina. Mood ruin-er extraordinaire.

He tried to catch Beckett's eyes in apology as he exited the room, but she was gazing intently at her pancake as if it were a riveting new discovery. Gina, was polishing off _his_ pancake with verve. _Just fantastic_.

He hastily showered, in such a hurry to reassess the situation in the kitchen that any plan he could come up with to smoothly get rid of Gina was only half-baked and nonsensical. He stumbled back into the kitchen, hair dripping, towel still draped over his shoulders. He released a steady sigh of relief. Only Beckett remained, she was bent over the sink, rinsing the dishes.

He moved to her side, taking a plate from her hand and depositing it into the dishwasher. She smiled softly at him. His heart stuttered, it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. She was truly gorgeous, even here, standing in his kitchen, an errant strand of her hair tickling her lips. The sun caught it perfectly and he was besotted all over again. She sniffed and blew gently on the hair in question in an attempt to shake it from her face. It failed, she was reluctant to use her soggy hands to sweep it from her face.

"Castle, could you?" she inclined her head in a sharp nod, the stray hair bobbing.

 _Oh_. "Oh," his hand rose eagerly, but froze before her face. This kind of touching was normally off limits, but she had asked him to. _She had asked him to_ , he was overwhelmed by her all over again. He tried to pull himself together, finding that he didn't care that he wasn't entirely successfully. He grasped the errant hair oh so gently... He could swear that she almost shivered as his fingertips brushed her cheek. He tucked the hair delicately behind her ear, savouring the moment. Her face radiated warmth, his fingertips tingled and burned where they had met her skin.

"Better?" he hummed, voice gruff with emotion.

"Much," she murmured in response, before throwing another semblance of caution haplessly to the wind and following Castle's retreating hand with her cheek. She pressed – no, _nuzzled_ – the soft skin of her face into Castle's palm. It was fleeting, but it was undeniable. She had done it. He had felt it. It really happened.

The next words from his mouth colossally ruined the moment. _Utterly destroyed_.

"Where's Gina?" spilled from his lips, unbidden. He'd meant it as a check, not wanting her to walk in on him pushing Beckett against the wall and ripping her clothes from her skin with his teeth. He felt Beckett instantly tense and lean away from his reach. He mentally berated himself. _Ugh_. They needed to lose the subtext and communicate clearly with one another. He wondered briefly if mentioning, ' _I think Gina's a harpy_ ,' would appease Beckett and settle this monumental misunderstanding for good.

"Umm, she went to ' _beautify_ ' herself for the day," Beckett grimaced. She wasn't mentioning Gina's glib line about joining Castle in the shower whilst she shot her a pointed glare either. Beckett was sure that wasn't _actually_ happening. It hadn't stopped her from straining her ears for the sound a second force of water starting in a different part of the house. Her heart rate had resumed its normal rhythm with that.

It was almost as if every time Beckett thought about Castle's damn ex-wife it summoned her. She was the bad timing conjurer. What a skill... She bit back a heady eye-roll as yet again Gina sauntered her way back into the kitchen, hips swinging deliberately, cleavage firmly on display. _Lovely_. She looked remarkably smug despite the proximity between her newfound nemesis and her soon-to-be-a-little-less-ex-husband.

"Ricky," she purred, flashing a dazzling (just plain creepy in Beckett's personal opinion) smile, teeth bared, at the both of them. "I've had the _best_ idea," she continued enthusiastically. "A win-win for everyone. Detec – Kate, can I call you Kate?" she turned her attention to Beckett who gulped –

"Yes?" she was proud of how sure her voice sounded despite an impending sense of doom as to where this conversation was headed.

"Great, Kate," Gina sniggered briefly at her own rhyming genius. Castle definitely didn't like where this was headed. Gina had clearly concocted some sort of madness. Up until now, her general ploy had been to ignore Beckett almost entirely and flirt shamelessly with him. This was a definite break to pattern. Not good. Warning sirens blared in his head on a constant, shrilling cycle. "What's the best thing you can do to get over a break-up?" she flicked her eyes from Beckett to Castle, waiting for one of them to willing provide an acceptable answer.

"Chocolate?" Castle attempted.

"Wine," Beckett supplied.

"Bath," they added in unison. Beckett flashed Castle that million-dollar smile. He matched it. Gina frowned momentarily, but pressed on.

"All good ideas, but the ultimate in dealing with those post break-up blues..." she paused for dramatic effect, "girls day!" she trilled. With that, Castle was onto her play, looked like Gina was going for a divide and conquer approach. At least, she had the 'divide' strategy in full swing. Not if he had any input. He personally didn't think Beckett was suffering for post break-up blues of any sort, much the opposite, she seemed... _lighter_ , somehow. Definitely less keyed up. Definitely more open with him. He recalled how she'd _willingly_ let him palm her face earlier. No blues there. In fact, she was more a delightful shade of pink. Her cheekbones glowing with it.

"That's a, uh, _nice_ idea Gina," he hedged carefully, flattery would only get him so far. "I think Beckett's okay though. No blues, right?" Beckett was nodding her agreement at his side.

"Nonsense, Ricky," Gina ..., "you said you wanted to help Beckett get over this Demming character. This is a foolproof approach. Nothing heals the heart like a pamper day with a girlfriend." She finished her spiel, arms waving animatedly with a long sly look at Beckett. She managed a weak smile in response and Gina turned her attention back to Castle. She sidled in between the pair to face Castle square on. Beckett rolled her eyes thoroughly at the move. Petty. _Oh_ , it got worse.

Gina pushed her hand onto Castle's chest with a familiarity that caused Beckett to ache. Chagrin got the best of her and she gave into an uncharacteristically childlike action, with Gina's view fixed firmly on Castle, she caught his gaze over her shoulder. Beckett slowly raised her hand and gave the blonde bimbo the finger. She kept her expression solemn, lapsing from it only to give Castle a chaste wink. His mouth popped into a perfect ' _o_ ' before he doubled over laughing, although the sound that came out was much more choking and coughing. He shirked Gina's hand with the motion and clutched at his chest, heaving unsteady gasps of air.

Beckett wasn't fighting fair either then, the goddess-like creature that she was. Castle wanted to reach out and tell her that there was no competition, that they on the same page for once – despite feeling like they weren't even in the same book more often than not. Now they finally had it sorted. Same place, same time, same longing. At least he hoped her was interpreting it accurately. He considered asking Beckett if she'd help him hide the body if he murdered Gina sometime in the next few minutes. She was still managing to keep her expression neutral as Gina looked perturbed by the hysterics he'd seemingly got himself into. However, he caught the humour glinting in the edges of her eyes and knew there was hope. Yep. She'd totally help him hide the body.

Beckett found herself completely conflicted. She did not want to spend time with Gina, at all. That much she knew. But, the idea of figuring out the woman's motives was actually kind of tempting. It could be reconnaissance, she could put her detecting skills to the test and glean just what Gina was actually after from Castle. Once she knew that, she could act more decisively, once and for all.

"You know what, Gina," she started slowly. "That's actually a really good idea. How thoughtful," she lay it on thick. What the hell was she getting herself into? She bit back the bile churning in her throat. Castle gaped at her, startled. Gina glossed her fake smile straight back on –

"Oh goody. I'll call us a car."

Well, looked like this was happening. Keep your enemies closer and all that.

 **AN: Good news, bad news situation... So, I updated from last chapter's annoying 'to be continued' of sorts, but I'm back at work tomorrow (starting a new role, in a new location) and as a result updating speed will dramatically decrease. Apologies in advance for that, stick with me! I promise, there is more coming...**


	5. Chapter 5

This was not how Beckett saw her weekend playing out when she'd decided to ditch Demming and take Castle up on his offer. Bloody Gina showing up had complicated everything. So here she was, in a ritzy, Bali inspired spa in the Hamptons in which she was certain she was spending more than her monthly wage on. Financially, definitely a mistake. Looked like she wouldn't be buying any current season Burberry coats when winter finally rolled around this year. Also looked like she probably wouldn't be buying food for the next two weeks. It was whatever. The place was stunning though, wooden archways meeting in a high ceiling, the scent of frangipani wafting through the room. Her companion – and the loan she'd have to take out next week – the only downside to her current predicament. She would've preferred to be here with Castle. Honestly, she'd prefer to be locked in a sewer with Castle over doing anything with Gina.

Kate huffed a breath of stale air as she listened to Gina harp on and on about something or other. She'd actively zoned out a good ten minutes ago, focused instead on those last moments with Castle before Gina had rushed her out the door. She replayed their conversation, softly smiling at the memory.

"Beeeeeeckett," Castle had whined, grabbing for her hand. He had wrapped his thick fingers around the pulse point at her wrist and she was acutely aware that he could probably feel it quickening. She willed the beat of her heart to steady. Slender as she was, she didn't often think of herself as breakable, but with Castle's hand encircling her wrist she felt delicate. He hadn't said much, something about not having to go on this 'girls day' with Gina if she didn't want to and that he would be standing by the phone if she needed (or wanted) to bail. She had assured him that she would be fine, yet he only gripped her tighter and continued pouting. She wasn't too proud to admit that it was absolutely adorable. Besides, he probably had a point, this was a stupid idea. All she was learning was that his ex-wife was as shallow and air-headed as she had originally perceived Castle to be after their first encounter two years ago. She'd been way off base with Castle. Maybe she'd be off base with Gina too? Or maybe not...

She zoned back in momentarily and Gina was heatedly discussing her preferred shade of pink with the beautician. Apparently there was a right answer to the question of favourite colour. Riveting stuff. Personal preference didn't appear to be an option, it was Gina's way or a twenty-five minute dispute, the frazzled nail artist was learning that the long way. Poor girl. She was doing a great job of remaining professional, Beckett shot her a sympathetic smile. Gina noticed her beauty provider's eyes flick to Beckett, thus reminding her that Beckett existed and could participate in the discussion. Crap.

"Wouldn't you agree, Kate? Amaranth is the superior shade," she purred. Like it mattered, Beckett groaned internally. Seriously, amaranth? Was that even a thing? Who cared about colours that much? Ah, stuff it, might as well poke the bear. Gina already seemed to despise her, no point in fighting it. She wasn't going to waste time agreeing with her about nothing. Gina was regarding her carefully; the nail artist was nodding her head with complacency, evidently learning that pretending to agree with the exuberant blonde woman was the easiest way to get through her working day.

"Pink is pink, right? It's all much of a muchness," Beckett smiled sweetly. Gina's jaw dropped with a satisfying pop, she recovered quickly, deciding to change her tact to straight up being a bitch.

"Mmm, I suppose fashion sense isn't a necessity for your career," she turned her nose down at Beckett, eyeing her current outfit condescendingly. She gave a sharp sniff, "clearly."

Beckett didn't bite, sure she was pissed, but she wasn't giving Gina the damn satisfaction. She was best dressed female detective in all of New York City. Wasn't even a competition. Not that she would admit that. She tried to pretend she didn't care about what she was wearing and it was all a spur of the moment kind of thing. It really wasn't though. Her wardrobe was more carefully put together than any of the meals in her fridge.

The silence lingered. Beckett let it. She wasn't about to waste time responding. Gina switched tact yet again.

"We're here for a girls day," she giggled lightly to her beautician – Courtney, according to her nametag. "Kate," she gestured with her thumb at Beckett, despite the obvious, no one else was with them and Courtney didn't look completely stupid. "She and her boyfriend broke up."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Courtney looked appropriately demure. Beckett smiled at her in response.

"What was his name again?" Gina interjected.

"Tom," Beckett replied – curtly. She really wasn't all that concerned with talking about Demming. She had other things on her mind, bright blue-eyed, authorly things.

"Right, Tom. Tell us about Tom," Gina beamed, "what made you first fall for him?" She gazed at Beckett keenly, enthused to talk about her ex. Weird, but she'd go with it for now. Surely there was some hidden agenda here, as with everything Gina did.

"I didn't fall for him," Beckett started softly, "not really." Gina momentarily looked stumped, however, it only lasted a second before she began nodding eagerly, egging Beckett to continue. "We didn't date for long. He wasn't what I was looking for..." she trailed off... She had figured out exactly what she was looking for now, again, very authorly and ruggedly handsome. Not that Tom hadn't been fine to look at, but that wasn't enough.

"Why wasn't he what you wanted? You must have liked something about him?" Gina prodded, waving her glossy, newly amaranth-ly coloured nails in Beckett's face. Beckett grimaced and leant away from the raving blonde lunatic.

"Uh... I guess I liked that he was like me. He understood the job. But, I've done like me before and it doesn't work. Two people too obsessed with their jobs doesn't leave much time for the relationship," Beckett sighed. It hadn't worked with Will either. Tom was too similar. Besides, she was currently a little distracted by her massive crush on Castle to seriously date anyone else. Wasn't necessary to mention that to damn Gina though.

"Mmm, don't undervalue the importance of being with someone who understands your job though. Imagine if you dated someone who wasn't a cop and had to argue day-in, day-out about all the hours and overtime. It just wouldn't work," Gina shook her head, seemingly passionate about Beckett's prospective relationships. "Maybe, having someone similar to yourself isn't such a bad thing." Oh. _Oh_. This wasn't a help her get over Demming kind of girls day. This was a convince her to get back with Demming kind of 'girls day'. Beckett was onto her. The conniving _bitch._ Beckett could work with this. She too had her own alternative motivation after all. She could play right into this little ploy...

"That's true. It's hard for people in other careers to really understand the job. Unless," she paused for dramatic effect, let's see what Gina made of this, "unless, I dated someone like, hmm, I don't know, a _journalist_ , someone in career who is good at understanding and empathizing with others." You know, like _Jameson Rook_ , she thought glibly to herself. Gina seemed to be getting what she was putting down, the colour flushed from her face momentarily before she continued.

"Ah," she conceded weakly, before switching back to the make Beckett fall in love with the ex she was never in love with in the first place plan of attack. "So, what was the sweetest thing Tom ever did for you? He sounds kind of dreamy," Gina continued smiling encouragingly – dumbly – at Beckett. She mulled it over for a moment; he didn't call her out on being interested in Castle when she dumped him? Probably not the one Gina wanted to hear. Nothing Beckett had mentioned so far had made Demming seem _dreamy_ , Gina was clearly grasping at straws with that 'observation'. Still... Beckett was forming her counterattack a little more shrewdly.

"Oh, _so_ dreamy," she gushed wistfully, seemingly playing right into Gina's hand. Gina's grin blossomed in response. Good. Let her lap it up. "I can't even begin to decide the sweetest thing he did, everything was so lovely. He was always putting me first. He bought me flowers. He cooked my favourite dinners." All lies. Semantics. Direct contradiction of the whole he put his job first thing she had previously mentioned, but Gina was desperate to hear it so she didn't bother questioning her.

"He sounds _amazing_ ," she drawled. Beckett bit back a scoff. He was fine, yes. But, Gina was enthused, despite having taken the bait. Hook, line and sinker. She was batting her eyelids at Beckett unabashedly. Beckett suppressed an almighty eye roll.

"So amazing," she echoed dryly, hoping that Gina missed the sarcasm she was having a hard time dulling down. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and scrolled to a photo of Demming, shirtless. She was going to have to delete that later. Still, it would serve her well now. She flashed it to Gina with a whimsical smirk. Gina's eyes lit up predictably. Oh yeah, hook, line and sinker.

"He's _very_ handsome," Gina admired.

"Oh yeah, a total babe," Beckett agreed, leaving the phone in Gina's hand for her to continue to gaze at for a few moments longer.

"So," Gina hedged, "maybe there's still hope. Have you completely given up on him?" Beckett knew it. She bloody knew it. She was so onto Gina. Lucky she was ahead of the game.

"Oh no. You've convinced me." Beckett lied through her teeth as Gina practically shook with excitement. "A sexy, romantic man like that shouldn't be single. He's not for me, that's for sure." Gina's grin metamorphosed into a frown. Ha. "But, I've had the _best_ idea. Here," Beckett pulled a scrap of paper and a pen from her handbag and scrawled a note quickly, "Tom's number. He would love to hear from you. I think he has a bit of thing for blondes. He is _such_ a catch. You guys will be _great_ together." So much gushing. So much lying. Gina probably wouldn't call her bluff and literally _call_ her ex, but hey, worth a shot. If Gina was going to play dirty so would she. Beckett pushed the note into Gina's hand with flourish. The woman was too stunned to do anything other than take it whilst gaping at the unexpected turn. Probably not what she'd been planning. She'd looked so smug when she thought her damn dopey plan was working. Beckett was no fool.

Gina continued gawking at Beckett, flicking her gaze to the crumpled piece of paper jammed in her hand. Beckett tried to look innocent. All she wanted to do was laugh. Get back with Demming, seriously? She'd literally dumped the dude yesterday. She was also quite clearly – she hoped – into Castle. Gina had some stupid nerve. When was she leaving? Beckett just wanted to hang out with Castle, maybe wander along the beach, definitely roast some marshmallows. She was over this 'girls day' ploy. Time to get back to her partner. Enough of this rubbish.

"My nails are dry, it's time for lunch. I was thinking we stop at the deli and grab something for Castle on the way back to the beach," she grinned. "Plus, it'll give you a chance to call Tom," she threw in with a wink. Gina merely continued looking perplexed.

"Lunch?" she attempted weakly. Beckett pretended it was unconditional support for her suggestion and went with it.

"Great," she answered briskly, hurrying Gina out the door, tossing a word of thanks to poor Courtney as she went. That girl would be rambling about the crazy lady obsessed with amaranth to her colleagues for the rest of the week.

So, girls day was over then? About time.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Castle was frantic. This girls day was the craziest idea ever. There was no way in the deepest pits of hell he wanted Gina and Beckett socialising. It was so not a good idea. Gina shouldn't be here. Oh man. He'd made such a mistake. In order to punish him for said mistake, the gods had separated him from Beckett and Gina so he had _no_ idea what was happening. He was going out of his mind. If this was Gina's idea to get him writing, it had more than backfired, it had impressively imploded. He couldn't stop pacing, let alone sit down and write a word. Oh Beckett. He hoped Gina wasn't poisoning her against him. He needed something to occupy his mind or he was going to explode. He swore he could say how many seconds had passed since they had been gone.

He was keeping good on his hushed promise to Beckett as she went out the door. He was keeping good on it a little too well, his phone remaining permanently attached to his hand, his eyes seldom leaving the screen just in case it glowed with an incoming call. Probably part of the reason he was counting seconds...

Alexis. He would call his daughter. That would distract him. He unlocked his phone, shook his head at the time despite already knowing it, longest two hours of his life. He dialled and waited, so many rings. Nothing happened. She didn't pick up. He growled in frustration. Maybe she was busy in her summer program, he'd try her again shortly. After what seemed like an eternity, he tried her again. He bit his lip sharply as it rang out once again.

"C'mon," he growled. "Pick up..." he sighed. He waited another eternity. He tried again. Still no answer. Utterly infuriating. Maybe something was wrong? He tried one more time. This time it didn't even ring. Should he trace her phone? How busy could she really be on some college summer program?

He pressed out of his favourites, considering the 'find my iPhone' function as his next best bet, when his phone lit up with his daughter's beautiful face. He answered within the first ring.

"Pumpkin," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dad?" she cried, concern colouring her tone. "Are you okay? I've got like five missed calls from you in the past ten minutes. What's wrong? It is Grams?" she rushed out in one frantic breath of air. Oh, _whoops_.

"Umm. Right. No, no, everything's fine," he soothed. "Writer's block. I'm going crazy with it. Just can't get anywhere. I think it's being apart from Beckett..." he trailed off longingly, hoping that Alexis missed the neediness clouding his tone.

"Oh Dad," she sighed. "I'm sorry. Go for a dip in the ocean, couple of rough waves should knock that writer's block from your mind. But look, I've got to go, I'm, uh, kind of in the middle of a bunch of stuff right now...I'm really sorry." Now that Castle was really listening, he could hear the buzz of a whole lot of background noise. Oh man, he'd been away from Alexis for a night and he was already harassing her. He was going to be a wreck once she actually left for college.

"Right. I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll go for a swim, great idea," he smiled softly down the line.

"It's fine, love you Dad. Talk soon, okay?" she murmured soothingly.

"Bye sweetie, love you," he husked somewhat pathetically – his baby girl was practically in college. Now he had another contributing factor to his frantic breakdown. Just fantastic. Little did he know, many miles away, Alexis was now staring at her phone with a mixture of amusement and genuine concern. What a weird phone call. She really was worried. Maybe she'd call her grandma...

 **AN: Big gap between updates. My apologies. New job is interesting! However, also very time consuming... Thanks for taking the time to read. Quick question from an Australian – me – what exactly is Memorial Day? How is it typically celebrated? (I could probably just Google it, but where's the fun in that...)**


	6. Chapter 6

The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, glinting on the caps of waves as they broke. Not a cloud could be seen. The only sound, waves softly crashing on the shore merely adding to the serenity, well until –

"Ow, ow, owww!" Beckett bellowed somewhat unbecomingly. "Crap. Crap. Crap," she added with a mutter. She was fearless and tough. She was also currently dying. Not that she'd ever admit it.

"Beckett?" Castle was plunging unsteadily through the waves, concern etched across his face.

Damn it. This was not the afternoon at the beach she had planned. She and Gina had returned with lunch and she'd watched Castle visibly deflate with relief as she'd walked through the door. She wasn't too proud to admit that her body had probably mirrored his, the tension falling away at the lopsided lift of his lips. He was so handsome when his eyes twinkled and the corner of his face crinkled with that endearing grin. She was so, _so_ far gone. She suggested a swim, figuring Gina for the more sunbake leisurely on the beach without venturing deeper than her toes kind of girl. If Beckett was a betting woman, she probably would've put money on Gina not wanting to get her hair wet. She was spot on the mark with that. Gina had flounced around on the shore, making a show of rubbing tanning lotion into her exposed skin. Castle hadn't paid her an ounce of attention, his eyes locked on Beckett... Beckett in a stringy emerald green bikini that left little to the imagination, but that didn't stop him from trying... She had blushed, not even bothering to mask it. Castle's answering grin stretched ear to ear as he followed her into the salty water. The coolness bit his ankles and he squeaked. Beckett giggled, a pearling ring of utter delight that left Castle mesmerised. That moment a complete contrast to the one now...

Her foot was on fire and not in a fun way. Wait? Was there a fun way? She was losing lucidity. Not a good sigh. It was agony. Castle had reached her and awkwardly stumbled to a stop, not wanting to touch her without her explicit permission. She flapped her mouth, willing words to come.

"Ouch," she mumbled lamely.

"What, Beckett?" he had to hold back from shaking her. What the hell was wrong? Oh god. Why wasn't she speaking coherent sentences. He hadn't seen a shark gnaw her leg off. That was promising. It couldn't be that bad? Still, worst case scenarios were rolling through his mind. Stonefish only lived in Australia, right? Like most deadly creatures... But the ocean was all connected, could they swim? Surely, kickass, indestructible Detective Beckett couldn't be killed in a freak accident involving a foreign, deadly creature. What a way to go...

"Castle," she aimed for soothing. His face was whiter than hers and she was the one in physical pain. Poor man. "Something stung my foot," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"St-onefish," he gasped out, eyes practically popping from his head.

"What? No. Not possible. Wrong side of the world," she grimaced. Somehow it was endearing. She even made pain look adorable.

"Uh," Castle managed before clearing his throat. "Right. Yeah. Right." He was still standing there hopelessly, hands floating limply on the surface of the water, reaching towards Beckett without gaining traction.

"Umm... Can you help me?" Beckett gestured at her foot. "Somehow it's got me right on the sole of my foot," she managed to make bobbing around on one foot in the rolling waves look exceptionally graceful. "Not a stonefish Castle," she added shrewdly, watching his expression flicker between pain, fear and humour. She wasn't sure which one was going to win out. It seemed like neither did Castle, although concern definitely dominated the mix.

She reached for him, closing the gap between then. He tried to pass off his perceivable shiver when her fingertips reached him as the wind brushing against his wet skin. She slung her arm around his waist and his heart stopped. She shrugged her shoulders, indicating for him to wrap his arm around her shoulders. His heart exploded. There was no coming back from this. Everything felt warm. Her arm was searing his skin in all the places that flesh touched flesh. Bare flesh, he reminded himself every point two seconds. He was definitely going to die.

She was no better. She was so damn nervous she was shaking. This was worse than that awkward, gangly teenager stage. So many nerves. Every single one of them was making its presence known by shuddering through her.

Her hand clenched his side, she could feel the edges of his ribs through a taut layer of skin. His ribs were rising and falling with each unsteady breath that he took. They were both a pile of nerves. She needed to stop her foot from burning. It was throbbing an uneven rhythm beneath the water. She grimaced as her attention returned to it. Castle noticed, of course he did, and began to gently nudge her through the waves, using his body as a crutch, taking the weight off her injured side. She grasped him tighter as they moved, he mirrored the action, curling her into his side with ease. She seemed shorter, not to mention infinitely less indestructible like this.

The waves jerked them around as they moved towards the shallows and Beckett found her other hand creeping its way onto Castle's bare chest in an attempt to steal herself against the motion. He lost all self control at that, his free hand unconsciously clasping hers over where it rested on his skin. This was crossing so many of her carefully laid boundaries, but neither of them seemed to care. Beckett smiled shyly at the gesture. This weekend was beginning to take a turn for the better. Injured or not, this was easily the highlight of her day.

The sand under their feets drifted from wet to dry and Beckett found it harder to keep her injured foot elevated, hopping along unsteadily despite Castle's support. He frowned down at her efforts and pulled them to a stop.

"I feel like I should carry you?" he declared, although his tone didn't exactly scream certainty.

"I don't know, Castle," she shrugged. "Think you can handle me?"

"Yes!" he intoned, possibly too enthusiastically. She eyed him shrewdly. "I would love to _handle_ you, Beckett," he added with a smug grin. Her patented Beckett death stare in response lacked its usual fire, in fact her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"Okay," she nodded. Castle gulped. This was his chance to sweep Beckett off her feet – literally. "Sweep me off my feet, Castle," she added dryly. He gaped helplessly at her... Mind reading vixen! "What?" she quirked her brow at his perplexed expression.

"I...uh... You literally said what I was thinking," he managed to splutter out.

"You know what they say, Castle. Great minds and all that," she grinned. He continued to stare at her incredulously.

"I think that's the nicest compliment you've ever paid me, Detective," he finally managed to murmur. She smiled widely at him in response. It really was, in his eyes she had no equal in intelligence and wit. He certainly didn't come close. He could feel his adoring gaze starting to border on creepy, he tried to dull it down, but he was so far past that. He never wanted to stop looking at her. Tanned, lithe, fluid in his arms. This day wasn't allowed to end. He wouldn't let it. He'd find a way to stop time. Easy enough? Probably easier than recapturing this moment... Beckett had never seemed this open before and he was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to close herself back off again. Maybe they were past that?

Beckett was almost mirroring that enraptured staring thing, but she somehow managed to gesture that Castle should make good on his sweeping her off her feet thing. He swept an arm under her legs and pulled her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and _nuzzled_ his throat? He was hallucinating, right? He must have been the one to get stung and this was his passed out, coma dream. That was the only logical option. Might as well make the most of it. He let his pinkie finger trace a potentially dangerous pattern along her exposed thigh as he held her. She emitted a sharp puff of air, but didn't physically make him stop. So, naturally enough he continued, letting it drift a little higher this time. Her eyes fell shut. His almost did too, but he decided tripping and dropping her probably wasn't his best play right now.

He was walking, that much was true. He was definitely keeping a slower pace than his usual stride. He tried to lie to himself, that he was just being cautious and ensuring that he carried Beckett as carefully as possible. The truth, though was that he wanted the moment to last forever. He was feeling the moment slip away with step he took bringing him closer to his house. Although, his other slight dilemma was that the longer he stalled, the more the muscles in his arms strained. He wasn't weak, that was for sure. He also wasn't at his physical peak after all the bear claws of winter. Whoops. Next year he would work out a hell of a lot more if it meant he got to hold Beckett's glorious body for a longer period of time. He should bring her to the beach and let sea creatures attack her more often...

She could tell he was stalling and she honestly didn't care. The sting on her foot pulled with each movement and yet she found it increasingly easier to tune out, instead focused on memorising the planes of Castle's chest. She liked it from this angle. He wanted to play tension loaded touching? She was more than happy to oblige, matching his strokes along her leg with the play of her nails gently over his collarbone. Each feather light touch left a line of faint goose bumps in its wake. She wanted to stay here forever. She was so, so glad she'd called Castle back in the precinct and swallowed her fear. This felt like one of those life defining moments, the kind you held onto forever, no matter how it ended up playing out. She'd told Castle that she was a one and done kind of girl and oh boy was she feeling done for.

He regretfully reached the edge of the sand, the beach house looming darkly over them. Damn. He couldn't think of a way to stall further that wasn't absurdly obvious. He was going to have to relinquish his grip on her. Damn, damn, damn.

Beckett sighed, he took hope in the fact that she too seemed to regret the end of their un-moderated touching. Although, he noted, her expression was laced with pain and he cursed himself for being so selfish. Here he was, living out all his fantasies in slow motion whilst she was physically in agony. He was a monster. He lowered her onto the sofa, manoeuvring himself so that her feet were in his lap. He examined the injured foot methodically, there was an angry red welt splaying the sole of her foot. He pressed it gently and she hissed with pain.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"S'okay," she answered, eyes flickering shut. Castle hummed, moving to pull ice from the freezer. He wrapped a fistful of cubes in a cloth before returning to his place at her feet. She gasped as the cold reached her skin, but allowed Castle to apply increasing pressure. She leant her head back on the edge of the sofa, letting out a long sigh.

"Beckett?" he called softly, prying her eyes open. "It looks pretty nasty. Do you want me to drive you to a doctor?" he entreated gently. She attempted to muffle a snort.

"It's fine. Just a little sore. The ice should do the trick." She wasn't wasting her quality time with Castle in a snooty Hampton's doctor's surgery. Plus, she'd been a lot closer to dying on the job and had bounced back every time. She'd be right. Besides, this here, with Castle tracing errant patterns on the top of a foot was much more healing. In fact, the pain was subsiding to the extent that her afternoon in the sun was beginning to take its toll. Exhaustion kicked in and she began to drift out of consciousness.

Gina's meditation mix came to close and she languidly pulled the headphones from her ears. She rubbed her eyes with a moan, before lifting her head and glancing around the beach. Not a soul in sight. Empty. What the? Where was Rick? She plastered a pout across her face. Hmphff. She was beginning to feel a little affronted about Ricky's priorities. She'd have to help him get them straight...

 **AN: I apologize for the million years between updates! Life is a little nuts at the moment. New job is amazing! However, time consuming. Thank you to everyone who explained the particularities of Memorial Day to me – much appreciated. Stay with me... Hopefully the next update won't take quite so long...**


	7. Chapter 7

Gina shook the sand from her towel before draping it over her shoulder and starting towards the beach house. She was going to get some damn alone time with Ricky. That detective was monopolising all her quality time. Lucky she was only here for the weekend, Gina was fairly certain _her_ invitation was open ended. She had the whole summer with Rick at her disposal; that thought was perhaps the only thing that had kept her so amicable about the Kate situation. The poor girl was going to embarrass herself sometime this weekend, the hopeless way she was pining over Rick. Please, like she had a chance when Gina herself was in the mix. She'd been married to man for crying out loud. If anyone knew how to woo him, it was her. Clearly she had the goods.

As she neared the house, she slowed her pace, a stealthy approach her best tactic to see what the love-struck detective was up to. She crept to the edge of the patio and released a low growl. Rick and Kate were asleep on the sofa, her legs draped over his body as she stretched along the length of the couch. He was sitting, his head lolling to the side, his arms enclosing her legs. Very intimate. Not happy Jan, well, not happy Gina was more like it. She took another step forward and noticed a small puddle of water had formed on the floor. Weird. She followed the trail, spotting something in Rick's hand. A tea towel, pressed against Kate's foot. It was probably filled with ice. Right. Now she understood. Kate was going for the whole faking an injury to get attention ploy. Pfft. Pathetic. But, you know what, not such a terrible strategy. Clever move really. She had done it before herself. It was fine. Gina could recover from this tiny setback. It wasn't so hard to get "injured". She could fake an injury too. Stroke of pure genius. What would Ricky do if she needed carrying around the house? He would have to answer to her beck and call. Brilliant. Time to put it into action.

She retreated a few feet back onto the beach and broke into a run. She released her best dramatic, blood-curling scream and flung herself onto the ground, tossing her beach bag into the air with flourish. It landed next to her, depositing her belongs all around. Perfect. She'd just wait here, rubbing her ankle helplessly and wait for Ricky to come to her rescue. Maybe she'd have time to summon a tear or two before he made it outside. She would have to be quick, he would likely hear the scream and come running. He was sweet like that. She threw in a wail, for good measure.

"Waaaaaaaaaaah!"

Inside, Beckett stirred at the noise. She was instinctively a very light sleeper, always alert for the sound of her phone indicating a body dropping early in the morning. She didn't want to wake up now though, she was much too comfortable. Castle's warm form surrounded her lower body, contrasting with the cool, numbness of her swollen foot. She tensed her toes, trying to get a feel for the extent of the damage. It stung like a bitch. That was going to be a problem. She wasn't going to be able to put weight on it for a while yet. Although, the more she remembered caressing Castle as he carried her, the less it seemed like an issue. She could live with Castle helping her around for the rest of the day if she really had to. She hated the idea of inconveniencing him, but somehow she figured he would survive. If his internal organs churned even half as much as hers did when they touched then she had the feeling he would very much enjoy helping her move around the house.

As she slowly came back to her surroundings, she remembered the reason she was pulled back to her senses. The weird noise. Right. She opened her eyes, lifting her head to take in her surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place. Her gaze lingered on Castle, seemed he had succumbed to a nap too. His head was drooping towards her, the crinkle at the side of his eyes lessened by his relaxed face. She drank up the judgement-free staring greedily, she was getting all kinds of chances to look and _touch_ today. It really was a great vacation. She reached out a hand, figuring the boundaries were a little less obvious at the moment and stroked his cheek with the pads of her fingers. He didn't stir, her fingers continued their exploration, pushing at the errant strands of hair falling onto his face. He seemed to be coming increasingly aware of her touch. He pushed his face deeper into the palm of her hand and sighed. She smiled softly at the movement, cupping his cheek, her palm brushing against his lips. He must have felt the pressure on them, turning slightly to press a rough kiss to her palm. Her hand stilled, shock coursing through her. A little bit more open than she was used to. He must still be deep in sleep. Not conscious at all of his surroundings. Was she taking advantage of him? She kind of wanted to kiss him, just to see how he'd respond in this sleepy state. Would he remember it? Then again, when she kissed him, she really did want him to remember it. Maybe she should wake him up first…

"Castle," she whispered softly, pressing her fingers more firmly into his cheek.

No lucid response. Hmm. Time to step it up?

"Castle," she tried again, a touch louder. "Caaaa-stle." Nothing. Right.

She carefully raised a pointed finger and brushed the ends of his eyelashes. She repeated the movement. The lashes began to flutter. She did it again. More fluttering. And again.

"Whaa?" crawled its way out from Castle's barely moving lips. One more time. His eyes fluttered open this time, revealing a dazed and slightly confused expression. Oh, she was too slow. He locked in on her retreating finger. "Beckett?" he turned to look at her. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Morning, sleepyhead… Well, evening, technically," she corrected herself with a grin. Castle found himself matching her grin despite not having any idea what was going on.

"Beckett?" he tried again.

"Mmm," she conceded through pursed lips, fighting back another giggle.

"Not that it wasn't a unique way to wake up, why were you tickling my eyelashes?" Castle attempted to level her with a serious and questioning gaze and failed, the confused vibe still reigning strong.

"Calling your name didn't seem to do the trick," she shrugged, "next best idea."

"Always surprising me, Kate Beckett," he grinned. Another shrug. "I like it," he added. She beamed, eyes sparkling. "So, you're playful when you wake up. I kind of figured you for one of those I need coffee before I can function types."

"Oh, that's a great idea," she tried to sit up a bit more, Castle tightening his grip on her legs in response.

"What is?"

"Coffee. I'd get it, but," she gestured to her legs, "I'm currently indisposed." She lifted her legs off Castle's lap as he somewhat begrudgingly loosened his grip.

"Coffee it is," he smiled.

Gina was over this. She'd been sitting out here, covered in sand, grasping awkwardly at her ankle for five whole minutes. Ricky was supposed to come running straight out of the house the second he heard her scream, preferably throwing Kate onto the floor in his haste. Where the hell was he?

Sometimes he slept pretty deeply, maybe that was it. She needed to scream again, louder this time. She took a deep breath, gathering as much air in her lungs as possible and let lose a bellow.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhahhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" That should do it.

The coffee machine whistled as Castle stood in the kitchen humming. He was pretty sure this moment was the definition of content. Beckett was gazing at him over the edge of the couch as he pulled mugs from the shelf. He would meet her eyes every second or so and she would grin. He might have been too far away, but he liked to think he could almost picture blush rising on her cheeks every time he looked her way. She continued to stare though, not too embarrassed that he was calling her out on it by staring back to actually turn away. He was probably going to burn himself with scalding coffee if he continued gawking at her, but he wasn't about to let a technicality like that dissuade him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her brow furrow.

"Did you hear that?"

"Huh? Hear what?" Castle shrugged.

"It sounded like a scream. Outside," Beckett continued.

"Sometimes the wind whistles through the door funny when it's ajar. It makes a ghostly, possibly interpreted as screaming, noise. It was great when Alexis and I used to tell ghost stories right before bed." He smiled softly at the memories. "Mother would jump every time," he chuckled. "Although, I think she was just adding her dramatic flair to convince Alexis that her stories were terrifying."

"That's sweet, Castle. It's a shame they're not here this weekend."

"I shudder to think about what my mother is up to this weekend. That's the true horror story," he groaned.

"Castle," she chided. "It's great Martha has met someone."

"Oh please, her taste in men is atrocious," he sighed. He plucked the two coffee mugs from the bench and returned to the sofa, depositing one in Beckett's outstretched hand.

"Speaking of taste in relationships, where is Gina?" Beckett murmured. Castle grimaced.

"I really shouldn't have invited her this weekend. I'm sorry, Beckett. It's just, you said no and then she called…and I just wasn't thinking straight…" he groaned. "Worst timing ever."

"I know," Beckett soothed. "It's making for a pretty strange weekend, isn't it?" Castle nodded morosely in response.

"I just want to spend time with you. You know that, right?" he added.

"I'm here to see Gina," she teased.

"Wouldn't that be a plot twist," he raised his eyebrows at her and chuckled.

"Castle," her tone was one of warning, "so help me if Nikki has a lesbian tryst in the next book…"

He threw back his head and laughed, loud and ringing.

Gina was not impressed. It had been several more minutes and still no Rick. That last scream had probably been the loudest one she could muster. This was pathetic. He must still be asleep. She needed to move closer to the house. Or maybe she'd just limp inside, it would totally have the same effect. Once Ricky saw her in pain he would jump to her aid. Foolproof.

As she approached the house, she heard Rick's laughter spilling through the open door. Her frown deepened. So much for still sleeping. She sighed loudly and stumbled into the beach house.

The scene before her was not ideal. Rick was gazing at the detective with a look a pure admiration, like she had said the funniest thing he had ever heard. She had her hand on his thigh, as if attempting to reign in his mirth and calm him down. Naturally enough, the detective noticed Gina first, her joyous expression slipping momentarily before she managed to mask it. She inclined her head towards Gina, causing Rick's gaze to shift her way. Now that his eyes were on her, she continued hobbling her way unsteadily inside. He narrowed his eyes, appraising her limp, but still not rushing over to help her. Fine.

"Oh Ricky," she sighed dramatically, "I think I've twisted my ankle," she groaned for extra effect.

"How did you manage that?" he asked warily. Gina noted that Kate hadn't bothered returning her wandering hand back to her own body, even now that she was here. Poor girl was going to be so embarrassed for throwing herself at Rick when she was going to be the one to return triumphantly with him at the end of the summer.

"I went for a walk along the beach and there must have been a hole in the sand. I stepped in it, fell and here we are," she pouted.

"Oh. Okay. It doesn't look very swollen," he eyed the pale ankle with trepidation. He flicked his gaze back to Beckett's angry, raised welt that looked as if it was still pulsating with every breath she took. Nasty.

"It hurts," Gina whined, slouching into an armchair.

"There's ice in the freezer, help yourself," he shrugged. "Oh, but be sure to refill the trays you use. I'll have to ice Beckett's sting a little bit later." He tugged at her foot and held it up for Gina to see, "pretty gross, right?"

Gina made no attempt to acknowledge Beckett's foot, apart from a glare in her general direction. She also made no attempt to move and collect the ice she had so kindly been offered. This was ridiculous. Where was the charming and helpful Ricky? If this had happened in the early days of their marriage he would have been fawning over her with ice and offers to run out and buy painkillers. Apparently not now. This was so not good enough.

"Ricky," she drawled, "be a dear and get me some ice. I'm in pain," she moaned to emphasize her point.

"No problem," he sighed and meandered over the fridge. "You know what?" he added after several moments, "best thing for a sprained ankle is keeping it elevated. I'll help you up to your bedroom so you can rest."

Gina smirked. Now that sounded more like it. She was happy to 'rest' with Ricky any day. She let Rick help her to her feet and leaned into his side. She smirked at Beckett as he gently helped her to her room. As she slid under the covers she gestured for him to join her.

"No thanks. I've got to start dinner," he quickly backed away leaving a pouting Gina in his wake.

He found Beckett exactly as he had left her, seated on the sofa, sipping her coffee and gazing out to sea. He took his place at her side.

"Poor Gina," she murmured.

"Please," he sniffed, "that is the mildest sprain I've ever seen, if it's even sprained at all. I wouldn't put it past Gina to fake it for the attention. She's like the kid with the 'fever' who doesn't want to go to school…"

Beckett chuckled and Castle beamed at her.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked somewhat shyly, tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear, not quite meeting his eyes. "Seeing as I'm not up for much else," she gestured at her injured foot.

"Mmm," Castle acquiesced. "Sounds like a plan."

As the beginning credits rolled, Beckett gazed at Castle. He was studiously watching the screen in a determined effort not to stare at her for the next two hours. She smiled softly and went for it. Castle's hands lay on his thighs and she slipped her hand over the one closest to her. Her heartbeat increased tenfold. She tried to ignore the sharp intake of breath that fell from Castle's lips. She tightened her grip. He steeled himself for possible rejection and figured it was worth the risk. He flipped his hand and laced his fingers with hers. He had absolutely no idea what the first few minutes of the movie were about, all he was conscious of was Beckett's steady, warm pulse echoing through his fingertips.

 **AN: Nothing annoys me more than people who start stories and don't finish them. Second to that is people who start stories and then updates them ridiculously slowly. I am sorry that I have become that person! I'm working on it. Life has been a little nuts (in a good, but very busy way) over the past few weeks. Aiming to update weekly at the very slowest – we'll see how that goes… I hope you're sticking with me. Apologies for the delay!**


	8. Chapter 8

Beckett stretched her leg out and cringed. Castle noticed, because of course he did. When did he ever not notice with her?

"Still hurting," he mused, no question lacing his tone, just concern. She nodded through pursed lips. He sighed. "Would you like some fresh ice?" He really was not keen to move. Her hand was still entwined with his and he had never been more blissfully content in all his life.

"No," she gasped, it was almost panic. He felt her grip tighten on his hand. She blushed at her mild overreaction and tried to rewind. "Umm. I'm happy here," her gentle smile took his breath away. He nodded mutely in response. She readjusted her position, leaning her shoulders into his chest, draping her legs more fully over the length of the sofa.

He figured they were breaking all the unspoken rules by now and he gingerly shifted his free hand from the back of the couch to lay on Beckett's arm. She shrugged him off momentarily and he braced himself for rejection. Possibly the worst rejection ever. Which would be totally hypercritical considering she had been the one to grab his hand in the first freaking place. His brief freak-out was completely unjustified as the best case scenario occurred as Beckett repositioned his arm to wrap around her torso, his hand now resting on her abdomen.

Great. He was definitely going to spontaneously combust. He could actually reach out and grab the sexual tension in the air. He wanted to kiss her. He really, _really_ wanted to kiss her. Stuff it. He was going to go for it. All her signals were screaming for him to make a move. Right? This was it. Possibly the greatest moment of his existence – excusing the birth of Alexis and all that jazz. This was one of these do or die moments. Oh god. He was about to do it. He was about to kiss Beckett. Finally. The past two years had culminated to this moment right now. This would be earth shattering, ground-breaking, the story they would tell their grandchil –

"Rrrrrrrrricky," Gina bellowed. Castle almost sobbed. Not now. Seriously. Beckett released a low groan. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Way to ruin a goddamn moment. He was actually going to cry. He wondered how he could kick Gina out without damaging his writing career. Although, screw his career. He'd throw that overboard right now too if it get in the way of him making out with Beckett. Why was the world conspiring against him?

"What now?" Beckett murmured. "Does she have the absolute worst timing or what?" she whispered, squeezing his hand once again. Castle felt like the Grinch who stole Christmas. His heart was physically expanding with each touch that Beckett blessed him with, despite the fact he had invited Gina and almost ruined the whole thing.

He needed to deal with her. Delicately. He'd have to wait until morning, it was a little callous to suggest she leave as night falls. He needed her out. Naturally, as he thought it, the opposite happened, Gina coming into view. She eyed their placement on the couch and grimaced. "Didn't you say something about preparing dinner, Ricky? I'm positively famished." She swung her hips and traipsed into the kitchen. Beckett couldn't help but notice she was striding very purposely for someone with a sprained ankle.

"Umm. Finish the movie after dinner?" he motioned, tightening his grip on Beckett for a moment before begrudgingly releasing her and pulling away. She frowned, but let him go.

"I'd help," her voice followed him as he moved, "but," she motioned at her throbbing foot with a groan.

Gina was rifling through the fridge as he rounded the kitchen island.

"I was thinking a cook-up on the grill," he motioned to the shelf the meat was on. "It's a summer tradition," he added.

"I know," Gina brisked. "I was your wife, if you recall." She fisted her hand onto her hip and glared at him.

Castle ignored the remark, choosing instead to open a bottle of wine. He mouthed _was_ to himself in a manner of utmost maturity. He poured a glass for Beckett, leaving Gina to pile the food they needed on the island. Returning to the living room, he found that Beckett had switched the television to a news update. She glanced affectionately at Castle as he handed her the wine. It didn't escape him that she grasped his fingers more than the stem of the glass. He took his time letting go, lingering with the glass halfway to Beckett and her fingers gently caressing his.

"Thanks Castle," she grinned.

"My…errr…pleasure," he stammered. For a professional writer, he sure was speechless when it came to Beckett. Especially this weekend, with this softer, more open version of Beckett. He continued to stare at her blankly, mouth popping open and closed like a fish. She sipped her wine, hoping she could blame her rising blush on the alcohol. She could feel it, that palpable hiss of electricity writhing through the air as he continued to gaze at her. She flashed back to a Springsteen song, they definitely had the spark to start a fire. Oh how she wanted to start that fire.

As if Castle was reading her mind he began to lean in closer. She shifted her wine glass from her face, swiftly licking her lips. Her tongue darting out so quickly that Castle was almost sure he'd imagined it. Yet, she continued to lean in. He continued to lean in. Beckett felt the fire stoke some more inside her. Castle's eyes were dark and hungry. This was it. This was their moment. _Finally_ –

"Riiiiiiiiicky. You need to start the grill," Gina's voice echoed around the room, smashing through the space between them. Beckett and Castle both released matching low groans of frustration. Beckett threw her head back and inhaled several mouthfuls of wine.

"First thing tomorrow, I swear. I'm kicking her out," Castle hissed, his brow furrowed in vivid annoyance.

"You can't," Beckett sighed, running the fingers of her free hand through her hair with another groan. "What about Nikki?"

"Huh, you're Nikki? What?" he eyed her curiously.

"No, no. I mean the book. Your career? She's your publisher. Won't she be a little vindictive if she feels she's been slighted? She comes across as someone with that level of professionality…" Beckett added in a hurried whisper.

"Oh god. I'm going to have to make her think it was her idea to leave."

"Exactly," she nodded. He shot her a dubious half smile.

"The grill!" echoed from the kitchen once again. He swore Gina's voice was becoming shriller by the word. Just lovely. He grimaced at Beckett before returning to the kitchen. Gina had poured herself a generous glass of wine, a second one practically overflowed on the bench. She pushed it into Rick's hand as he approached her. He took a sip, offering a weak thank you. She hustled him out the door, to the waiting grill, a tray beside it laden with food.

He cooked in a rush, feeling a pull to return to Beckett as soon as possible.

The meat was a little on the rare side, he could see Gina turning her nose up at it out of the corner of his eye. Whatever. He could also see Beckett licking juices from the corner of his mouth and he was grateful for his hurried grilling technique. She smirked at him around a tender chunk of steak and he grinned back. Nothing felt mediocre with Beckett around. He was so pleased she had come. He'd barely had a second to dwell on missing his daughter and mother. His house would have felt so empty without her.

As she was proving so apt at doing this weekend, Gina pried him from his thoughts.

"It's such a lovely night. After we finish eating, we should go for a walk along the beach," she gazed out at the horizon as she spoke.

"What about Beckett's foot?" Castle sighed loudly in response. "I don't think she's up to walking through sand. More to the point, what about your sprained ankle?"

"It's feeling much better," she beamed, with a casual shrug. "Must have been that rest."

Beckett couldn't help herself, she snorted back a chuckle. Castle stared at her, laughter shining in his eyes, threatening to spill over. Gina eyed Beckett seriously.

"You should rest, Kate. We'll take some nice photos for you so you don't miss out," she added, marked fake kindness lacing her tone.

"Gina, it's a great idea. It's just not that practical – " Castle began, Beckett cutting him off.

"You know what, I'll come for a little wander. I've been sitting all afternoon. It'll do me some good."

"Fantastic," Gina chimed, her tone suddenly lacking some of its earlier enthusiasm. Castle continued smiling softly at Beckett.

"I'll clear the plates," he murmured, blindly grabbing for crockery with his gaze still locked squarely on Beckett. She found herself blushing for the umpteenth time that day. Four hundredth times the charm and all that. She hoped he found the shade of tomato endearing. She helped him pile the plates together, trailing him into the kitchen. She rinsed everything carefully, handing it to him to stack in the dishwasher. Simple. Domestic. Possibly the most fun she'd had on this vacation so far. She still really wanted to kiss him. There was pent up sexual tension and there was insanity. They were beginning to border on beyond insanity. It probably wasn't healthy.

Gina lingered impatiently at the door, glaring at them and muttering to herself every few moments.

"Sun's fading," she called, "we better get a move on if we want to catch the last little bit of light." Castle and Beckett grudgingly joined her at the door, before plunging onto the sand.

About five steps in Beckett regretted it. Seriously regretted it. Tough as nails, kickass detective reputation or not, her welted foot did not mix well with sand. It was abrasive and painful. She was grimacing with every step and struggling to mask it. Gina ploughed ahead, rambling on about the colours of the sunset. Castle shot her a little concerned look every few seconds. He appeared to be arguing with himself as to whether he should bring it up or just let it go. He slowed his pace and fell in at her side.

"You okay?" he mumbled hesitantly. She nodded, her lips pressed together in a fierce line that he took to actually mean _hell no_. He frowned at her before throwing caution to the wind. He spun his back to her. "Get on." He curled his hands up and gestured for her to jump onto his back.

"Oh, what the hell," she shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaping.

He was in the best possible parallel universe. The warmth of Beckett's body was coating his back, her lean figure draped around him. She was so light. He would need to feed her more steak. Partly so he could stare at her licking her lips all over again. Oh, to be those lips, caressed by that magical tongue. He was hallucinating. He'd been in a horrific accident and this was the world his comatose mind had created. Although, why was Gina here? Strangely, that unfortunate situation made it seem all the more like reality. What a strange twist. Speaking of Gina, she was now huffing along in front of them, shooting death glares over her should to Beckett every few seconds. The intended victim of her wrath hadn't seemed to notice it though, he could feel Beckett's gaze facing out to sea, completely ignoring the animosity directed at her. He could tell that her breathing was steadying as her arms slackened around him. He hiked her up, she seemed to notice she was slipping, tightening her grip around him once more and pressing her head to his. Her breath warming his ear as she whispered –

"Thanks, Castle." He brushed his thumb over her leg in response.

"Beckett," he grumbled slightly, "not to diminish my rugged manliness in any capacity, but let's sit for a while. This walking thing is overrated." She chuckled and dropped the ground. Somehow it was graceful, she had lithe, catlike mannerisms down to a pat.

Gina noticed them stop and turned back, plonking herself down beside them.

"What a day," she remarked. Beckett couldn't have agreed more, finally they'd found something they saw eye-to-eye on, other than an appreciation of Castle… and she wished that they had differing opinions on that. Like that Gina despised him and didn't want to spend any time near him. That would be ideal.

A voice carried through the wind, excited with an air of frantic.

"Dad! Dad! Daaaaad!"

Castle jerked before lunging to his feet.

"Alexis," he answered with a beam spreading across his face and sparkling eyes. He patted Beckett's shoulder quickly, a mark of reassurance before sprinting towards the house. "Hi sweetie," he shouted as vivid red hair came whirling into view. He gathered her up in his arms. "How? Why? Your summer program?" he gaped.

"Dad," she sighed. "You sounded so frantic this morning. You tried to call me like ten times in as many minutes. I couldn't leave you out here all alone," she fussed.

"Oh," his mouth fell open in a perfect circle. "About that," he took her hand and tugged her towards the beach. Alexis shot her father a dubious look as she noticed they weren't the sole occupants of the sandy shores. As they got close enough to the figures of Beckett and Gina for Alexis to make out their faces, she ground to a halt. She snorted and glared at her father.

"What is _she_ doing here," she hissed loudly.

 **AN: Epic fail on the updating. I'll make no promises this time. Thanks for continuing to stick with me. I appreciate you all!**


	9. Chapter 9

Beckett felt her breath escape her body at Alexis' words, deflating in earnest. Her gaze dropped to her feet, almost hanging her head in shame. She shouldn't have intruded, sure, she was part of Castle's precinct family, but she wasn't part of his _real_ family. She was sure her face was stinging, maybe even turning red. She was a tough woman, but she wasn't immune to the fierce bite of rejection. Especially considering it was coming from someone she liked – she had always reasoned Alexis liked her too. This was not good. She really hadn't expected Castle's daughter to react to her this way. She needed to make it right.

"Alexis – I," she paused, the girl's expression bordering on puzzled as she turned her gaze to Beckett. Nonetheless, she pressed on, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. If it makes you uncomfortable I'll go. Really, I'm sorry, I should –" she paused to take a sharp breath. The words blurred together in rush as she tried to get it all out as quickly as possible, Alexis looked as if she was about to protest. She really didn't want to argue with the girl. She also really didn't want to leave. She was sure Castle didn't want to her to leave either. But, Alexis, she was important, her opinion mattered. She could make or break this whole tentative chemistry between them. Her thoughts spun a million miles an hour, she lifted her gaze from the nervous wringing of her hands back to Alexis who was regarding her with a peculiar expression, her mouth dropped open in a silent ' _o_ '. The vivacious teen seemed to find herself as Beckett met her eyes. Her mouth snapped shut.

"No, no. Not _you_ Detective Beckett!" she gasped, her shocked blue eyes bright as they darted to her father somewhat nervously. "The evil stepmother," she muttered, flicking her gaze to Gina who eyed her shrewdly in return.

Beckett didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't know there was any animosity between Castle's daughter and his ex-wife. Apparently, she was misinformed in that regard. Well, that changed things. In fact, it was almost good news – although, poor Alexis, the girl had it rough when it came to mother figures. Castle had mentioned something once, about the reason things hadn't worked out with Gina. Come to think of it, it had been along the lines of him wanting a mother for Alexis and it not really working out. Gina wasn't cut that way if she recalled. That much was becoming evident given Alexis' outburst. She'd never seen the girl say a cruel word to anyone. If Castle's miffed expression was anything to go by, he was feeling just about the same way… Gina, however, was handling it just fine for someone who had just been insulted by the most important person in Castle's life.

"And a good evening to you too, Alexis darling," she remarked briskly. Alexis snorted.

"Dad, seriously, why is she here? You promised," she groaned. She turned her back to Gina and glared at her father with her hand on her hip.

"Alexis," he mouthed, "contrary to your impeccable upbringing, you are being rude. You need to apologise." His gaze frantically flicked to Gina over Alexis' shoulder before settling on Beckett with a look of desperate resignation. She gave her best go at sympathetic, but in actuality she wanted to laugh so the moment may have been lost. Turned out sweet little Alexis did have some fight in her and it was glorious. She really liked Castle's kid, even more today than yesterday.

"Okay," Alexis sighed. She turned to face Beckett with a look of solemnity. "Detective Beckett, I'm very sorry that you thought I was talking about you. I can't believe Dad convinced you come out here. It is lovely to see you. Again, I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding." The sombre mask dropped and she flashed a little grin at Beckett that she couldn't help but return. Castle snorted a laugh, very unsuccessfully covering it with a coughing fit.

"Right smartie pants," he admonished. "Try again."

Gina's apathetic attitude had slipped slightly and she was now giving off a pissed off vibe. Alexis almost flinched meeting her gaze.

"Sorry Gina," she mumbled. Gina pursed her lips in response, giving the girl a brisk nod of acknowledgement.

"Shall we head back to the house, get you settled in Pumpkin," Castle added softly, regarding his girl with a hint of frustration somehow combined with a little pride. Beckett was once again reminded just how smitten she actually was. Oh dear.

Alexis was nodding in response to her father, Gina was getting to her feet brushing the sand from her rear, Beckett was frozen fantasizing about Castle once again. At least the weekend had a common theme. Before she had the chance to process what was happening, Castle was directly in front of her gently tugging her to her feet. She took a step, forgetting that her foot was the seventh circle of hell. Her brow furrowed, Castle caught it and stopped. He turned his back to his once more and held up his hand, ready for her to jump back on. She paused, eyeing Alexis carefully for any sign of protest before sighing and taking Castle up on her offer. Seriously, one little injury and she was totally out of commission. A little pathetic, but she was having a hard time caring when Castle was compassionately doting on her at every step – literally.

Alexis' eyebrows shot up practically into her hairline at the sight of Detective Beckett straddling her father, but she found her lips quirking at the edges into the makings of a smile so she let it slide without comment. Castle, however, apparently felt the need to comment. He beamed at Alexis, his eyes shining brightly with joy.

"Oh Alexis sweetie, be super careful in the water. Beckett got stung by something nasty," he nodded towards her injured foot. Alexis fell in beside them to get a better look.

"That is nasty," she scrunched up her nose. "Have you been to a doctor?" she added after a second glance. "That's really swollen."

"We, uh, iced it," Beckett cleared her throat, still somewhat nervous by Alexis' sudden appearance.

"Dad," Alexis sighed. "First thing tomorrow you need to call out a doctor." Castle chuckled in response. "Or are you just enjoying helping Detective Beckett around too much?" she stage whispered, with a smirk in Beckett's direction. Beckett gulped, a little shocked. She hadn't quite realised just how much of Castle was in Alexis, she totally had the same sense of humour. It was a little startling. Alexis grinned shrewdly at her, observant kid. Beckett told herself to relax, letting her shock settle. She laughed lightly with the teen.

"She's the one enjoying it," Castle gasped in abject horror before chuckling.

As they neared the house Alexis darted away.

"I'm going to, uh, take a shower. See you in a bit," she slipped upstairs, one last smirk of disbelief over her shoulder as she went. The adults trailed into the house behind her, Castle lowering Beckett gently to the sofa as he stepped inside, Gina scowling as she followed them.

"You know, I think Alexis has the right idea," Beckett sighed, rising to her feet once again. Castle glanced at his watch, it was still relatively early. He wasn't ready for everyone to head to bed just yet.

"Come back down for a nightcap?" he asked softly. Beckett nodded, adding extra sway to the motion of her hips as she made her exit. Castle appreciated the effort, his eyes following her every move, attempting to memorise every movement for future reference.

Upstairs, Alexis was undressing haphazardly, her phone dialling as she tugged her shirt over her head. The ringing stopped. It had been picked up, thank goodness.

"Grams!" she hissed into her phone frantically, careful to keep it to a whisper. "Cancel your plans. Something weird is going down in the Hamptons. Detective Beckett is here. So is Gina. Help me. I need backup!" Satisfied with her grandmother's response she hung up the phone and stepped into the shower.

She needed a plan. Sometimes her dad was hopeless. She could already pick it. He'd done something stupid, like invited Beckett and been rejected, then spur of the moment invited Gina. The detective must have changed her mind? Wait, didn't she have some lame cop boyfriend now? Her father had gotten himself into a mess. Insanity. Boyfriend or not – surely not? – Detective Beckett seemed to be flirting with her dad. Her dad was clearly fawning over Beckett. So what on earth was Gina still doing here? Her evil _ex_ -stepmother definitely still had designs on her dad. She had somehow stepped into the most awkward love triangle ever. It looked like her dad was still too busy trying to please everyone to be the bad guy and outright kick Gina out. It looked like sweet Alexis was going to have to intervene. Coincidently enough, she had just the idea to get things started. Although, she'd have to have a word with her father about stepping up and taking some action… Oh, this summer was going to be fun, that was for sure.

Castle found himself alone with a smouldering Gina, and not in the sexy way. She looked practically livid and he supposed she had good reason to be. Here he was, admonishing Alexis for being rude to her and he'd invited her away for the summer and then purposefully ignored her the second a better offer had come along. He could see why she would be acting slightly off kilter. He needed to extend an olive branch, without seeming too keen. Easy?

"Wine?" he offered, grimacing as he tried to form an open smile. Whoops. Not the best start. Gina nodded sharply and he proceeded to the kitchen to procure said wine. He poured a generous glass of the most expensive bottle of red in the house. Hopefully that would appease her somewhat.

She sniffed the wine appreciatively as he handed it to her, her lips curving upwards as she recognised the vintage. She sipped, letting the wine rest as she tasted it. "It's the good stuff," Castle nodded, gulping from his glass. "Gina, look, I'm sorry this trip hasn't been exactly what you expected it to be," another mouthful of wine followed his words. He was going to inhale his glass at this rate, just the way fine wine was intended to be consumed.

"When we spoke on the phone the other night, you seemed eager to catch up, Ricky. But now…" she trailed off, a crisp shrug.

He tried to think of a response that wasn't along the lines of, ' _you weren't my first choice and now she's here_ _so I don't have time for you_.' Probably not what Gina wanted to hear. His next best option was the straight out, ' _did I mention I'm completely in love with Beckett._ ' Also, not what Gina needed to hear. This was considerably awkward. How to put it delicately…

"Strange weekend," he started, still struggling to find a way to put his feelings into words without hurting Gina too much. "Um. I'm really sorry if I led you on the other night. That wasn't my intention." Except it kind of had been at the time. His bad. Talk about terrible timing. Not his classiest most gentlemanly moment.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, surprised to see a message from Alexis. ' _Upstairs now. We need to talk.'_ Oh. Well, that was better timing. It delayed this uncomfortable conversation somewhat. He could live with that.

"I'll be back soon, Gina. Alexis needs me upstairs for some reason," he waved his phone around jerkily and rose to his feet.

His daughter hustled him through her bedroom door before gesturing that he join her sitting on the edge of her bed. She looked at him curiously for several moments, studying his expression carefully. He mirrored her, somehow she managed to look insanely fierce for his tiny teenager. Since when did she look so grown up? She was drying her hair with a towel, dressed in the tattered set of pyjamas she kept at the Hamptons house and refused to throw out, despite the fact they'd clearly seen better years. She was so delicate, with her porcelain skin and bright blue eyes. His mother's fiery hair hung at her shoulders, damp and limp.

"Dad," she sighed, she was shaking her head ever so slightly at him. He suddenly got the feeling that he was about to be given a lecture. Oh dear. Always wise beyond her years, his little pumpkin. He was in trouble. "Dad, dad, dad," she muttered, shaking her head just a little more fervently now. "Dad."

"Yes," he choked out, before she could say _dad_ another dozen times.

"Doesn't Detective Beckett have a boyfriend?" she levelled him with a glare, turning her body to face him square on.

"What? No. She did. But not anymore," Castle could hear the panic in his tone, he attempted to turn it down a notch. Maybe Alexis had been faking it out on the beach, maybe she wasn't really okay with Beckett being here. Oh this was bad. So bad. Alexis' opinion mattered. It mattered a lot. When it came down to it, she was the most important person in his life, no competition. Alexis' demeanour changed as he answered, her eyes lit up and she flashed him a grin. Wait. What?

"That's great!" she gushed. "So you've actually got a shot?" Wait. What?

"Yes?" he gazed at his daughter apprehensively. This was getting confusing. She was all over the place, this was some sort of lecture come pep talk. That was good, right? He wanted her to like Beckett.

"Yes, Dad. You should go for it! Detective Beckett is cool. Plus, I really think she likes you," she was beaming at him now.

"I, what?" he was having trouble with coherency.

"But Dad, seriously, why is Gina here? Way awkward."

"I've been asking myself the same question," he mused, smirking just a little at his daughter. Alexis opened her mouth to respond, but a sharp knock on her door cut her off –

"Alexis, it's Beck – Kate, can I speak with you?"

"Hide in the bathroom," she hissed at her father. "Now."

 **AN: I'm hoping to update this story a fair bit over the next couple of weeks (and maybe finish it at some stage soon too). As always, thanks for being patient with me and sticking with the story. In deference to the story and Beckett's injury I managed to break my toe the other day so now I can write about her pain so much more authentically… Happy Easter!**


	10. Chapter 10

Beckett hesitated at the door. Her hand hung heavy in the air where it had landed after she had finished knocking. What if talking to Alexis was a mistake? Still, she needed to know what the girl really thought. It wasn't fair to lead Castle on if Alexis would veto the whole thing at some later date. She wasn't sure what she would say. Was it too premature to ask for permission to date Castle from his _daughter_? That was a little weird, right? Surely she'd be assuming far too much… She probably needed to ask Castle to date her before she asked Alexis if she was cool with it. Oh god. She should have mulled this all over _before_ knocking on the door. Retrospect was such a finicky concept. She needed to formulate a coherent sentence with which to speak to Alexis and pronto. Unfortunately, that just wasn't happening for her.

On the other side of the door, Castle was moving with the grace of a beached whale. Alexis was groaning and shaking her head at him as he managed to kick the doorframe of the bathroom after tripping over the corner of her rug. He released a muted squeak, an impressive feat considering he really wanted to shriek like an overgrown toddler. He was actually pretty proud of the level of decorum he was maintaining given the circumstances. Beckett wanted to talk to Alexis? Hopefully it was about him. Or maybe not? What if it was bad? What if she wanted Alexis' advice on how to let him down easy? No. It couldn't be. Sure, sometimes there were mixed signals between himself and Beckett, but she had clearly been giving off an interested vibe this weekend. He wasn't going crazy and making it up. It was happening. He really should kiss her at the next available moment. Which, to be honest, probably wasn't in Alexis' bedroom as his daughter looked on. Might have to wait that one out.

"Come in," his daughter chortled brightly. He could hear the door handle twist and he strained to press his ear up to the bathroom door. He needed a glass. How inconsiderate of his daughter not to provide one. Alexis' voice was carrying through the wall clearly enough, but he was concerned Beckett would be a little shy and speak softly and he'd miss the whole damn thing. He wondered briefly if he should feel guilty about eavesdropping, but quickly convinced himself that it was a happy coincidence of timing that he had the privilege of overhearing this conversation. Fate had ordained it for him. He wasn't going to smack fate in the face by blocking his ears and singing, ' _lalalala_ ,' to himself to zone it out. Absolute madness. No, he was Richard Castle and he was an opportunity taker and this, this was the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Thanks Alexis," he could hear Beckett murmuring as stepped through the door. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it or if he could really hear the soft thud of Alexis tapping a spot next to her on the bed and the creak of the mattress as Beckett sunk onto it.

"So what's up?" his daughter chirped, sounding infinitely cheerful and open. She really didn't seem to mind Beckett being here by the sounds of it. Sure, she was a happy kid at the best of times, but she seemed vastly enthused by his muse's presence. He was once again blossoming with pride over his kid. It seemed she had inherited his great taste in people. Good girl.

"I'm guessing from your reaction out there that your dad didn't mention that he was having some house guests to you," he could hear the nervousness that laced Beckett's tone. He could practically picture her wringing her hands as she spoke, trying to disguise the undercurrent of uncertainty. Alexis chuckled lightly in response, she must have shaken her head as well, because Beckett continued. "I just wanted to check if you're really okay with me being out here, without your dad around listening in. Do you mind that I'm here? If you don't, that's totally fine. I'll make up an excuse to your dad and leave." Castle's heart was exploding. He was 99 percent sure that Alexis wouldn't want Beckett to leave so that much was fine. However, what was really doing him in was the fact that Beckett cared enough about Alexis' feelings to put her above her own reasons for being here with him. She was an actual sweetheart and he fell a little more in love with her with every passing second. He could tell that Beckett was seriously worried about how Alexis would respond, her voice cracked and pitched with little moments of emotion. To someone who didn't know her as well as he did it was probably undetectable, but he heard it and it spoke volumes. It only served to make him 100 percent more smitten. He was starting to re-think his carefully laid out _don't passionately make-out with your future girlfriend in front of your daughter_ plan.

"Oh no Detective, really I'm glad you're here. You know you're always welcome. I loved having you stay with us after the whole apartment destruction mishap. I'm honestly surprised that dad managed to convince you to take a holiday. I think you work too much. But, again, I'm glad you're here. I know that dad is _really_ glad too. He seems _really, really_ happy," Alexis was rambling. The subtlety _really_ lacking from her delivery. Castle could imagine Beckett staring at his daughter open mouthed as the words spewed forth, overflowing with rainbows and sunshine.

"Oh," she managed in reply before Alexis continued and Castle suffered an actual legitimate heart attack at her words –

"Not to be rude, or super forthright Detective Beckett, but I have to ask," she dropped her volume, Castle was sure he could sense, even through the closed door, that she was darting her eyes around nervously. "Do you like my dad? Like, _like_ like him? Because I'm pretty sure he _likes_ you and if you don't _like_ like him for real it's maybe kind of unfair for you to stick around this weekend… I'm not saying I want you to go, but I want to protect my dad so…" and just like that Castle's heart couldn't decide if it were beating a million miles a minute or giving out altogether. It seemed to be doing a unique mixture of the two which was causing a neat numbing sensation combined with an echoing ringing that appeared to be bursting his eardrums. The thundering, thudding noise slamming through his ears was the problematic and severely annoying aspect to this whole heart attack thing as he really, _really_ wanted to hear Beckett's answer. Also, he was probably going to pass out. He didn't know whether he needed to hug Alexis or reprimand her forever. Sounded like Beckett was clearing her throat. He'd find out soon which route to take with Alexis. Maybe he'd buy her a pony? Or maybe she'd be grounded for the rest of her existence? Hard to tell at this stage.

"Yes." Wait. What? Was he hallucinating? Had Beckett really just spoken? Yes what? Yes, I don't love your father and I'll leave? Yes, you're being rude Alexis? Yes what, dammit… Just like that, the gods honoured his request and Beckett continued, "Yes, Alexis, I like your father." That was it, he _was_ passing out. Super. This was perhaps one of the highlights of his life and he was hiding in his child's bathroom, sprawled across a dated pink bathmat with a throbbing toe. What a way to mark a pivotal moment. Alexis, was taking another tact and squealing with delight. He could hear Beckett chuckle nervously.

"Oh, that's great!" Alexis enthused. "So what on earth is Gina doing here?" Cue more nerve induced laughter on Beckett's behalf.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have your father's sense of humour?" she muttered lightly. Castle grinned at that, his brilliant child apple didn't fall far from this old tree.

"Have you told my father that you like him? Believe me, that should help with getting rid of Gina." He could tell Alexis was smirking, so finely attuned to his daughter and this ratbag side of her that she often masked from the world.

"No, Alexis," Beckett was answering softly. "Not yet," she amended as Castle practically bashed his head against the wall to listen more clearly. "But I will, soon." Great. Now he was having heart palpitations again. He wondered if he came bounding from the bathroom this second if Beckett would declare her unending love for him. He also wondered if alternatively she'd never forgive him for this teensy-tiny breach of privacy eavesdropping thing.

"This is so exciting! For real though, someone needs to clue Gina in. I didn't pick you for the 'caught in a dramatic love triangle' type." There was a soft pop and Castle was sure that Alexis had flung her hand over her mouth in a last ditch attempt to slow her words before they exited her mouth. "Sorry, that was kind of rude. I didn't mean to be so brash." She clearly didn't need to worry, Beckett was laughing, true joy apparent in every chortle.

"Oh Alexis, you're really something." Castle slowly – and uselessly considering no one could actually see him – shook his head at Beckett's muffled words. Really something was right. His kid was pushing her luck. She was too much like him sometimes, he was pretty good at ignoring his internal filter. Or maybe it was just Beckett, she seemed to have a way with the Castles. His daughter seemed to like her almost as much as he did – although in a drastically different way.

"In the good way, right?" he could hear his daughter's grin shaping her words.

"Definitely in the good way," Beckett replied, her tone easy and natural, her words sincere. His heart soared. His kid. Such a legend. She was getting a raise in her allowance. "You know speaking of your dad, I should get back to him," Beckett added gently, signalling an end to the conversation.

"Oh I get it, don't want to leave him alone with the harpy for too long." Alexis was winking at Beckett. He had no doubt Alexis was winking at Beckett. He didn't need to be able to see the damn conversation to see that was happening. His kid had spirit. Also, possibly a touch too much of his confident and cocky side.

"Got it in one." Oh god. Beckett was winking at his kid. He didn't have to see the conversation to know that Beckett was winking at Alexis either. He knew his girls so well. He was kind of impressed about that, a little proud too. He was totally a mind reading pro. Maybe this eavesdropping through walls and picking up on body language could be the new skill he brought to the precinct. He'd have to mention it to Beckett, without alluding to this conversation in any way whatsoever of course. Easy. "Thanks for chatting with me, Alexis." Beckett was leaving, the mattress creaking once again to signal her rising from her place on the bed.

"I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me Detective Beckett. Not everyone would bother, trust me." Oh Alexis. She really wasn't a fan of Gina. It was a good thing that Beckett had changed her mind this weekend, otherwise Castle could have done something pretty stupid and potentially hurt his kid – again. That was definitely a silver lining, no matter where he left things with Beckett after this weekend. Although, that was looking up too. She liked him? She was going to tell him soon? This would be the greatest summer ever.

"Dad…dad…" Alexis was hissing. He was too zoned out, lost in thoughts of Beckett. She was getting gradually louder as he accidentally ignored her. "Daaaaad." Oh right. He jerked the door noisily, grinding it over the edge of the bathmat. Whoops. He ducked his head out sheepishly to find Alexis laughing at him. He couldn't think of words to say. He was probably in shock. He continued to grin moronically at his brilliant and slightly devious daughter.

Beckett found herself leaning on Alexis' bedroom door, she needed to find her footing, metaphorically speaking before she spoke to Castle. She just needed a moment to gather her wits and pull herself back together. She sighed, resting her weight more fully on the door. Her hand slipped and she nudged the handle. The door spilled open behind her and she found herself falling backwards.

She was met with eyes wide in shock. Two pairs of bright blue eyes. Equally terrified.

"Castle?" she gaped as she found her footing stepping into Alexis' room once more.

 **AN: It's amazing what being on holidays does for my updating… I appreciate you all so much for reading/following/reviewing!**


	11. Chapter 11

Her father and his detective continued to gape at each other. Mouths wide open, too shocked to speak. She could tell her dad was spiralling, she could almost see his brain hit meltdown mode as it tried to come up with an adequate excuse for being in the room. He was flailing, nothing coming to him. Alarms were blaring. He had no answers. He was in trouble. His flight or fight responses were both kicking in. He began to mouth incomprehensible sounds of panic that were an attempt at justification. He also began to shift awkwardly from foot to foot as his brain argued with itself as to whether or not running screaming from the room was an accurate response.

Both women in the room continued to stare wordlessly at Castle, waiting for his response to Beckett calling his name perhaps? He too was waiting for his brain to catch up and form an actual, coherent response. Or maybe they were just entranced by his perplexing breakdown of jerky movements and pained noises to do anything but watch him? Either way, not good.

Beckett wasn't angry. She was, however, confused and totally terrified. How much had he heard? She had basically just reverted to teenager and had girl talk with Alexis. She was actually kind of embarrassed. Really embarrassed. Was everyone in this room rocking the deer in headlights look or was it just her? She briefly considered just stepping back out of the room, closing the door and pretending this had never happened. Maybe she should be angry? Perhaps anger was the correct response in a situation like this. Had Castle just been eavesdropping on her from the bathroom? That was reasonably immature, although totally within the bounds of typical Castle behaviour. Despite the evident shock she was experiencing, in actuality it didn't really surprise her. Logically she knew that, but her body was having some sort of adverse reaction. Maybe anger was the way to go? Alexis had known. Alexis had so set her up. Leading the witness your Honour. Still, everything she'd said had been the truth. At least there was that. So she couldn't really be mad at Alexis, could she? The kid had good intentions, she was sure of that.

Alexis recovered from the shock the quickest. What was the big deal? Her dad liked Beckett. Beckett liked her dad. And now both of them knew about it. No problem. Maybe a tiny breach of privacy, but as if her dad had never eavesdropped on a single conversation at the precinct. He probably had a cup pressed up to the door of every room or conversation Beckett had ever kicked him out of. He just needed to pull out his best sheepish and charmingly endearing grin and maybe a quick apology and it would be fine. She was sure. Detective Beckett was definitely looking more shell-shocked than actually pissed off. Her dad was evidently having a lot of trouble pushing past the initial surprise to recover his smooth self. She would've laughed it he didn't literally look like he was about to wet his pants or cry. She kind of wished she was filming this so she had a little bit of leverage next time he refused her something – which was basically never anyway so she supposed it didn't really matter. Still, what was he doing with his face? She'd have to have a quick word with him afterwards about it not being his best look, especially when he was trying to pick up. Gross. Trying to impress his special friend? Also gross. There was no way to think about it that wasn't a touch icky for her. Still, she liked Beckett. She was rooting for the crazy kids. She needed to break the ice before one of them passed out. Humour was probably the way to go. Both her father and the detective seemed to respond to sarcasm relatively well. Good for her considering it was the official language of the teenager. She was fluent.

"You know, I thought the _without your dad listening in_ thing was a touch ironic…" Alexis cheerfully stated, flicking her gaze from her father to the detective and back again. No laughter. Weird. Maybe they just needed a moment to think about and process just how hilarious she was.

Her father released a strangled sound. It may have originally been intended a chuckle, but came out much closer to the final death call of a throttled pelican. Beckett's eyes flashed to Alexis, the bottom of her jaw practically scraping the floor as she gaped at her.

Yeah. That had done it. Still awkward. Oh well. She'd tried. Better effort than her currently bumbling father was making. Oh, hang on a second, he appeared to giving talking actual words a go. That was a solid plan, she flashed him a thumbs up. A little encouragement never went astray.

"S—o-r-rrr-y Beee-ck-eeett," Castle was choking out. The attempt at words clearly causing him physical pain as his mouth contorted with each elongated syllable. For her part, Beckett whipped her eyes away from Alexis and towards Castle as he spoke. He liked to think he could see her gaze softening as she stared – somewhat blankly still – at him.

"Uh," Beckett managed in response. Alexis liked to think it meant, ' _apology accepted, all good_.' She should probably save this situation…by making it about her. Obviously the best tact.

"It's my fault guys. I panicked when you were at the door Detective Beckett and I forced Dad to hide in my bathroom. I'm really sorry," she aimed for her best apologetic and totally cute look. No one could stay mad at her when she threw the sweet, pained pout in. It was a solid choice.

"Uh-huh," Beckett expanded. She threw her hands to her head and rubbed her face, scrunching her brow. The movement seemed to startle her back to life. She emitted a low groan and found her poise. "You two really are as bad as each other," she threw her hands up in – mock? hopefully – frustration. "Alexis, you should be a lawyer. I can't believe you straight faced had that conversation with me knowing full well your dad could hear everything," she huffed a breath of air, her tone somewhat light and teasing despite the gravity of her words. "And you," she turned her almost glare to Castle. "Hiding in bathrooms, listening in, really? Is that really how you wanted to hear me tell you that I like you?"

Castle lost even more coherency. She was actually admitting to it, not denying that it had ever happened? So, to get it straight, not only did Beckett like him, she was actually talking about it in his actual freaking presence. He didn't even know what oxygen was anymore. He also – clearly – didn't recall what his internal filter was either, as –

"Oh god yes," slipped from his lips unbidden before he could process the implication. "Any way you want to tell me is fine?" _Tell me again, tell me again, tell me again_ buzzing through his mind. Also, _make out with me_. But, he'd leave that one out for now. His child in the room and all. Beckett looked beautiful fake angry. Her eyes were glinting with humour, but her lips were narrow and pursed. The hand on her hip was really just serving to make him more turned on than anything else. Beckett looked him up and down and sighed.

"I'm rethinking it slightly now that I've found out you hang out in girls bathrooms and listen in on conversations." She took pity on him quickly though, watching a genuine flash of fear burst through his countenance. Clearly, he didn't have enough confidence in the fledging thing that was _them_ for her to joke around about her feelings. Fair point. "Kidding Castle," she soothed gently. His heart regained a slightly natural rhythm. Right. She liked him. He knew that now?

She was looking at him somewhat pensively. Oh Castle. He really didn't seem that sure. Maybe it was time for something a little more drastic. She'd promised Alexis that she'd talk to him. No time suitably awkward like the present. "Castle," she entreated softly, his eyes flying solemnly to her face. She took a deep breath. Now or never. This is what she was here for after all. Might as well get it over with. "Ireallylikeyou," she exhaled, a blur, but the message clear given the beaming smile lighting up Castle's face and crinkling the corner of his eyes in that adorable way that made her gut clench in anticipation.

Castle stepped towards her, he hesitated a second before hugging her fiercely.

"I really like you too," he murmured, his breath warm on her ear, causing a shiver to go coursing through her body. She shuddered, he gripped her closer. Alexis' _aww_ turning to _eewww_ the longer it went on.

"This is like the weirdest chick flick I've ever watched," she groaned. "I'm having some seriously mixed emotions." Beckett pulled back at her words, stepping reluctantly away from Castle, her eyes still locked on his. "I'm not saying you have to stop," Alexis added. "Although, I may need to cover my eyes. So yeah, maybe stopping is the way to go. Good plan."

Castle chuckled. He going to get misty eyed. He was in a room with basically everyone he truly, deeply cared about – notwithstanding his mother. This was a beautiful moment. He was feeling increasingly soppy with each second that passed. This was the conversation he'd get to tell their future kids about. He was jumping about fifty billion steps ahead of himself, but that so wasn't the point. He'd never been more hopeful about anything. He liked that Alexis was such an integral part of this story. She had been at his book launch when Beckett had arrested him, and she was here now and they declared there undying like for each other. This was great. It was important that she was a part of their story. He never wanted her to feel any less than important, especially when it came to him and dating. That had been part of the issue in the past. Women he'd been with wanted him to put them before Alexis and that was just insane. Never going to happen. He loved the feeling that it didn't seem like that was going to be a problem with Beckett. Bliss. Oh wait. He'd forgotten one thing. He cursed internally and released a steady groan.

"What are we going to do the situation downstairs," he mouthed, brow furrowed, eyes worried.

"I'm sure a course of antibiotics will do the trick and clear that right up Dad," Alexis quipped, quirking a brow at him in a show of mock concern.

"What? No!" Castle hissed. "So not funny."

"A little funny," Alexis replied, holding her fingers apart an inch to demonstrate just how hilarious her totally out of line reference to STIs was. "Maybe a little gross too," she conceded, wrinkly her nose in disgust.

"You think?" Castle replied incredulously.

Beckett couldn't help herself, the kid was actually a bit of comedian. She laughed, loudly and deeply, only stopping to draw in a sharp breath of oxygen to her struggling lungs. Castle gazed at her, a mix of wonderment and worry clouding his face.

"You know she's kidding, right?" he muttered, glaring at his beaming daughter. His comment only served to make Beckett laugh harder. It was incredibly therapeutic, a deep belly laugh did the mood wonders. She was somehow feeling totally at ease once more.

"Oh Castle," Beckett giggled. Actually _giggled_ , totally adorable. Castle was in awe. This was his favourite vacation ever, and to think it had started so poorly because of the whole Gina thing. Turned out his kid was pretty good at injecting levity into a situation. Useful skill. She was definitely going places. She had his charm and his good looks. She was the ultimate child. "You're too funny. Of course she's kidding. Her sense of humour is better than yours," Beckett continued, calming from her joyful high as she spoke, brushing an errant tear of laughter from her cheek. "But, you're right. You do need to do something about that problem you have downstairs," she nodded at the floor. "Little bit of a buzzkill," she added as an afterthought, shaking her head with a slight frown.

"You know what? I have a plan. Follow my lead," Alexis tossed over her shoulder as she pranced from the room. Beckett looked at Castle apprehensively, he gripped her hand gently in his and shrugged.

"She has a plan," he sighed, "that's better than the nothing I've got." She returned his shrug, glanced warmly at their linked hands and led him from the room, trailing Alexis downstairs.

 **AN: As always, thank you for reading! You guys are the greatest.**


	12. Chapter 12

He hoped this plan was good. Sure, his kid was bright, he'd give her that, but ultimately, she was still a kid… and well, kids in general weren't well known for their brilliantly well formulated plans. Teenagers tended to be better known for much the opposite. Flawed, poorly thought out plans that resulted in tragedy. That was the stereotypical teen approach. Unmitigated disaster. At least he was preparing himself for any inevitable outcome. He had that going for him. Besides, he was surely stressing for absolutely nothing. His kid was special, exceptional really. Alexis was one of a kind. None of those foolish terrible teenager plans for her. Solid, substantiated, actual pure genius ideas from his kid. That was it. He had high hopes. There was only one way this could go. Also, and perhaps most importantly, Beckett liked him. Actually _liked him_. Even if Alexis' plan backfired spectacularly, nothing could diminish that. He was having a great day. He'd probably have to wipe this smug grin off his face before confronting Gina. A neutral, calm expression could only enhance his daughter's wonderful plan.

"Dad," Alexis hissed as they rounded the hallway, fast approaching Gina. "You need to sit near me, okay?" He replied with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Alexis glanced apologetically at Beckett, "sorry," she added. Beckett brushed away her concern with a quick smile.

Beckett was practically bursting with a conflicting mixture of emotions. On one hand, she was ecstatic about that whole confirmed that Castle liked her thing. That was beyond amazing. She wanted to give into the fifteen year old girl buried deep inside of her and run around squealing. That same side of her also wanted to call Lanie and gush about how gorgeous he was. She was also feeling overwhelmed by a fair bit of lust. She was having some crass thoughts that all involved quality adult alone time – not too well suited to the current moment. Total bummer. Of course, battling along with the positive emotions swelling through her, there was the slightly pissed off vibe over the fact Gina was still here. Not to mention the fact she'd even been invited in the first place. It killed her to think that maybe Castle had given up on her so quickly. Sure, there had been the Demming thing at play and that made things more complicated. But surely, surely he could tell that he meant something to her, that he had always meant something to her. Albeit, he'd meant nuisance at first, but that had been replaced reasonably quickly by _other_ things. She was glad she'd finally put a name to them. She supposed, when it came down to it, most of all she was feeling relieved. There was so much relief that things between them looked like they were finally working out. Putting herself out there this weekend was totally paying off.

Beckett was so lost in her thoughts that she was so oblivious to what her body was doing of its own accord. She came back to herself as she almost sat on Gina's lap on the sofa. She blushed profusely and shuffled a foot or two to the side. Whoops. Awkward. Turned out, it was about to become more so as Alexis, with no preamble or casual chit chat launched into a tirade about a love triangle. Beckett stared studiously at a loose thread on her top.

"Oh Dad, I had the most uncomfortable, awkward experience at the summer program. I know I was only there for a night, but somehow in that time I managed to get caught in a _love triangle_ ," she breathed solemnly. "It was an absolute nightmare," she added. It appeared she was pausing for dramatic effect as her tongue darted out to lick her lips and her eyes flicked around the room gauging everyone's reactions.

"Umm, what?" Castle prompted, mouth gaping in shock. "You what?" he added after a moment, clearly stunned and frankly very concerned about where this conversation was heading. Was this her plan? To painfully spell out the elephant in the room with an exaggerated and fake – please be fake – comparison of sorts. Oh dear. _Oh, oh, dear._

He glanced at Beckett, looking for something, maybe a little emotional support to deal with the shock, but she refused to meet his eye. She was staring at her hands in her lap like she was willing the world to end. Okay. This was an interesting turn of events.

"I know I told you I came out to the Hamptons because of your weird phone call earlier, but there was more to it than that." Oh goody, Alexis was continuing with this insanity. What was it he'd said earlier about his kid being brilliant and breaking the meld? Yeah, scrap that? Momentary insanity.

Castle wrung his hands nervously as Alexis continued. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Gina was listening intently to every crazy word that came out of his daughter's mouth. She had a look he couldn't quite describe, a mix between incredulous and irate. Interesting. "There was this mixer party thing last night. Boy, Dad, were you right about there conveniently being kids old enough to buy alcohol around..." she paused, catching the look of absolute panic in his eyes. "I didn't partake," she reassured him as he gulped helplessly for air that wasn't coming.

Beckett had raised her eyes from their seemingly permanent position of directly looking down to meet Castle's and match his wild look of panic. She held his gaze as he fumbled for words that didn't come. His hands clenched unconsciously into fists as he continued to lose his mind. Alexis', clearly reading the room, added with a rush, "you know what, that's probably secondary to story. Whoops. Best of not mentioning it. I'm here now, Dad. Totally sober, totally safe." She reached for his hand in an attempt to soothe him.

He opened his mouth, gurgled wordlessly before giving up on speaking as she continued. "Anyway, at this party, I met this guy. He was really sweet and really smart."

"He sounds like trouble," Castle cut in, finally finding his good natured fatherly spirit once again. Alexis rolled her eyes.

"We were talking for ages, and we were getting on really well. It was great. He asked me out for breakfast the next day. Naturally, I said yes," Alexis elaborated, flicked her eyes around the room once more, making sure everyone was listening.

"But you overslept and it never happened? Oh, too bad," Castle teased. "I'm not sure I'm ready to hear the ins and outs of your dating life."

"Oh gross, Dad. There were no _ins and outs_ ," Alexis air quoted her father's words for dramatic effect, "as you so crudely put it." Castle winced at the connotations, Beckett mirrored him.

"Alexis, where are you headed with this before your Dad passes out?" Beckett questioned softly, directing a supportive wink at Castle.

"Right. So after I talked to him, I was going to leave the party. I didn't want to stay out too late, especially since I had plans for the morning. As I was about to bail, this random girl came up to me. Everything about her approach was super aggressive. She just butted into the conversation I was having and ignored everyone else. Her stance was off putting, you know, standoffish. She had her arms crossed and she was glaring at me. I hadn't met her before or anything so it was really weird," she paused, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, I know I just told you to get to the point for your dear old Dads sake, but you can stop to breathe," Beckett murmured.

"Noted," Alexis grinned at her, before barrelling on in much the same way. "After that, she told me in no uncertain terms that the guy who I had been chatting to was apparently her boyfriend and I was basically a wanton homewrecker. She was super sweet," she added dryly. Her dad chuckled.

"Sound like a real piece of work," he commented.

"I'm coming up short with what Logan, that's the guy, saw in her," Alexis smirked. "I figured I'd give Logan the benefit of the doubt somewhat. He'd seemed so lovely. I decided I'd still meet with him in the morning and ask him about it. He was really great about it actually. It turns out, even though she was so keen to refer to him as her boyfriend, the term ex-boyfriend was entirely more accurate."

"How long had they been broken up for?" Beckett interjected.

"Like a month. But he said that they'd only dated for a little bit and it had never been right. You know?" _Yes, she knew_. Beckett definitely knew what it was to date someone who wasn't quite right for her – Exhibit A, Tom Demming. Alexis took her nod as an invitation to continue with her story. "So, we were at breakfast and it was going really well. We just clicked. I don't know, there was this vibe or something. He was really intelligent and thoughtful. Cool too."

"You clicked," Beckett agreed. "Sometimes it just happens." She couldn't help her eyes drifting to Castle. It was natural at times. Your first impression could be way off and you could just end up clicking with someone. She knew better than anyone how that could happen, she'd clicked with Castle, against all odds.

He could sense that she was talking about him, not so much agreeing with the surely horny teenager hitting on his daughter thing. That was a whole other kettle of fish. He was not down. So not down. Alexis was too young to be 'clicking' with anyone. He sincerely hoped she was making this story up for Gina's benefit, or realistically Gina's detriment. This was a ruse, right? A cleverly disguised ploy to highlight to Gina that she needed to give up and concede Beckett's victory in terms of winning Castle's heart. Cheesy, yes. Accurate, even more so.

"Yeah, it happened." Was Alexis blushing? Please be excellent acting? She was taking after his mother? "Breakfast was going really well and then out of nowhere, the crazy ex-girlfriend was back. Really that's why I left, I was tired of dealing with her."

"Oh no!" Beckett gasped. "Again?" Why was Beckett buying this story? Castle was losing his mind. Or, maybe she was acting too? Playing along with Alexis' ruse. That was it. No leering teenager had been groping his daughter. It was just a story. She was refining the skills inherited from her father. No big deal. Smart kid. All was well.

"Again," Alexis sighed. "More ranting and raving. But the thing was, watching them interact, there was nothing there. No spark, no click. Before that I'd felt kind of conflicted, like I might have been getting in the way of them getting back together or I was a rebound or something. After that interaction, I didn't feel guilty in the slightest for meeting with him. We were just better together or something. Not that we're together, together. Not yet anyway. But I'm pretty sure we will be. It seems to be headed that way. He's worth it. Still, I decided to leave and come here, partly because Dad called and partly to give them space to deal with their issues. The thing is, if it had gone the other way, if there had been a spark between them I would've backed down. When it comes down to it, having history with someone isn't the most important thing, the click is." Alexis ended her monologue with a pointed glance in Gina's direction. It was a challenge of sorts, her message clear. Gina had the history, but Beckett had the connection. That was how she saw things. Not that it was her battle to fight. Still, she wanted her beliefs about things heard. She wanted Gina to know that she saw it too, the spark between her dad and his detective couldn't be denied, history or no history.

Despite having been silent for the entirety of Alexis' story, Gina spoke now. She could tell when she was being personally attacked, she was no fool. She could tell who had Alexis' tick of approval, not that she'd expected it. She needed to reformulate. She needed to think through if it was really worth it. This trip had turned out nothing at all like she had planned and she wasn't exactly ecstatic about it.

"I see," Gina frowned. "I'm heading to bed. Good night all. See you in the morning," with that she swept away, disappearing up the stairs in a blink of an eye.

"Too much," Alexis whispered weakly to her father, attempting a crooked, apologetic smile. He sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"Who needs a publisher anyway?" he eventually replied, raising his head to slowly shrug his shoulders at his daughter. Her reply was interrupted by the shrilling of her cell phone.

"It's Logan," she beamed clutching the phone to her ear and exiting the room in a flash. Castle clutched his heart, eyes darting to Beckett in shock. It was supposed to be just a clever, completely fictional story, right? Oh god. Alexis was dating. He could feel the air leaving his lungs, yet nothing was returning. This was the beginning of the end. He knew what teenage boys were like. He had been a teenage boy after all. Oh, oh, _oh_. So this was what a panic attack felt like. He needed oxygen. Stat.

 **AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry! Apologies all round for the dreadful updating. Thank you all so much for supporting this story, I'm so grateful to all who have taken the time to follow/favourite/review/read. Keep sticking with me, it'll end eventually I swear…**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Spoiler alert – this chapter is maybe teetering on a strong T/M.**

Alexis darting away served to highlight how uncomfortable the current situation now was for the three adults. Without the feisty teenager to dominate the conversion it lulled into silence. Very tense, awkward silence. Beckett had returned to making eye contact with no one. She was focusing all her attention on the faintest crack in the tile on the floor in front of her. Gina was smouldering into the distance, studiously looking over Castle's shoulder as opposed to directly at him. The him in question was wringing his hands somewhat frantically and flicking his eyes desperately towards the hallway Alexis had exited from.

This was helping no one. He cleared his throat.

"Well, goodnight," he rushed on a breath. He rose, somewhat unsteadily. It looked as if he were about to flee from the room. Instead, he paused, sending a longing look in Beckett's direction. After all their progress tonight, he kind of wanted to kiss her forehead, or her cheek to really wish her a good night. She seemed to be able to sense his wants, in tune with him as always. She stood, taking a step towards him with her long, graceful legs. She reached down and squeezed his hand gently.

"Until tomorrow, Castle," she practically rasped, the same heated longing coating her tone. With one last squeeze, she was gone. He could hear her footfalls as she strode up the stairs. He nodded tightly at Gina and followed in Beckett's wake, his hand limply in the air beside him, still electrified from Beckett's touch.

Gina released a low groan and pinched the bridge of her nose tightly. What the hell had this summer become? This was useless. She resolved to sleep, pack her things and silently slip out at the break of dawn. She would not spend this summer as a pathetic third wheel. She had other offers. Or, at least, she was sure she could get other offers.

Sleep came in fits for Castle. Typically he was a deep sleeper. One of those sleep-through-an-earthquake types. But not this time. He felt attuned to every single bump and thud that echoed around his house through the night. He was learning that his house was a lot creakier than he had ever realised. Plus, the sea breeze whistled through it somewhat eerily. It was an uneasy sleep, shadows dancing along the corners of his bleary eyes each time he jolted awake. Still, he was thankful for it, as just before dawn he heard the doors slide open and barely there footprints pitter-patter towards the beach.

He pulled himself from his bed and shrugged on a worn t-shirt. He was convinced the only person currently in this household who would pull themselves from bed before sunrise was Beckett and that was a good enough reason for him. He was newly appreciative of his fitful slumber, his broken sleep allowing him to be conscious in time to watch the sunrise with Beckett. Definitely a solid win. At last, a little bit of fate was intervening. Although, this whole weekend had been somewhat serendipitous so far. He wasn't too proud to marvel at the chain of events that had led him to this moment. That Beckett had even dumped boring Demming and agreed to come with him in the first place was still a wonder. Not to mention that she had been this open, warm and thoroughly interested in him creature since she had arrived. Everything was right with the world. It was fitting that he should rise with the sun and bask in the moment, with Beckett by his side.

Gina wasn't great with early mornings, however, the knowledge that Castle was just as bad, if not worse, was enough incentive for her to drag herself from the warm bed as the first vestiges of sunlight crept into the room. She could just leave without any nonsense of strained farewells. She rubbed at her face with the enthusiasm of a dying sloth, the sleep in her eyes slowing clearing as she blinked her eyes blearily. Barely functioning, she moved to the door, tugging it open clumsily before freezing – down the hall, Castle's door was spilling open. He stepped through it, she recoiled slightly, keeping her door ajar enough to see through. He didn't notice, didn't glance towards her room at all. His attention was already downstairs. He started to take the steps two at a time, disappearing from view as he made his way to the ground floor. Curious. For the first time since Alexis' weirdly assertive monologue last night she allowed herself to hope ever so slightly. Castle must have guessed she would leave first thing. He had woken himself up to stop her. Yes, there was hope yet. She decided it was probably worth a quick shower and to do her makeup after all.

Castle navigated the kitchen in the barely there light, he didn't want to draw attention to himself just yet. He made coffee by muscle memory, willing the machine to function as quietly as possible. Of course, it whistled and whined as ardently as usual despite his silent pleas. Still, he was sure the crashing of the waves along the shore outside would drown out most the noise he was creating in the kitchen. He somewhat soppily attempted a poor artistic rendition of a sunrise in the foam. It looked more like an explosion and he wholeheartedly gave up on the attempt. Latte foam was not to be the facet for his creative genius after all.

Coffees in hand, he stepped through the sliding doors and paused as his heart caught in his throat. There she was. Hair blowing gently in the wind. A blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Her gaze focused on the ocean. She sensed him, she always could, but she didn't turn. She hummed lightly and gestured to the space beside her. He fumbled, his feet quicker to register than his brain as he took the last few steps to her side. He handed her a steaming mug and she took it gratefully, leaning into his side. He shivered at her touch, her presence once again alighting his nerve endings in blissful fire. She mistook it for the chill of the early morning, and adjusted her blanket, wrapping it around him as well. He grasped his coffee in one hand and gently slung his other arm over her shoulder.

They sat in a deep silence that somewhat surprised Beckett. She had expected Castle to be chatty and as boisterous as ever, despite the solemnity that seemed to come with the breaking dawn. She was content to stay in the moment, their bodies warm and flush together at the sides. His arm, wrapped around her waist, each individual fingertip a bright flash of electricity, burning through her top, branding her skin. She nestled closer still, her head pressing into his shoulder. He responded in kind, his head coming to rest against hers. The sun steadily rose, they continued to sip their coffees wordlessly.

As the sun became a full orb and settled low in the sky, Beckett plucked Castle's near empty mug from his hand and placed it, along with hers on the wooden boards of the deck. She shifted to face him, pressing her knees into his thigh as she turned towards him. She cupped his face delicately, running the pads of her fingers over the stubble on his cheeks. He drifted towards her touch, eyes wide and stunned. Still, he didn't talk, no poorly timed joke or obvious double entendre. He was more mature, more grounded than she often gave him credit for. She paused, matching his gaze of wonderment before leaning in and pressing her lips deliberately to his. Her kiss was soft and lingering and Castle lost all semblance of self-control.

He tugged her closer, spanning his hands over her back, his fingers dipping to squeeze the rounded curve of flesh just below her spine. His movements frenzied, his hands constantly moving over her, clutching her closer to him, eliciting soft moans that echoed against his lips. He changed tact, burning a line up her back to cup her head fiercely instead. His focus shifting to what he was doing with his tongue. He thought he could do slow and sweet, but there was just too much need. He had never wanted someone as keenly as he wanted Kate Beckett. He pushed through the seam of her mouth, opening his own for her. His kiss was sloppy, desperate and needy. She matched him quickly, keening into his mouth and nipping at his lips. She swung her legs over his lap and he groaned, his hands slipping to palm the sides of her breasts. She shuddered with the sensation and arched into him, intensifying her assault on the deepest reaches of his mouth. She palmed him, accidentally at first, she was merely attempting to shift so that she straddled him fully and could thrust her tongue even deeper into his mouth. Yet, her hand lingered, applying pressure. The fire was well and truly fuelled. He jerked upwards, his hips jolting. She pushed back in response, frustration leeching through her lips at the lack of friction. His hands drifted down her ribcage, his fingers slipping under the seam of her pyjamas. She gasped as his fingers dipped lower still.

"Ca-aa-stle," she brokenly husked. He hummed enthusiastically in response. "Not here," she managed to ground out, barely pulling her lips from his.

"Upstairs?" he groaned, climbing unsteadily to his feet. She tightened her legs around his waist and allowed him to pull her up. She nodded her acquiescence.

A loud thud caused the both of them to jerk apart. Castle spun around, so he could face the house. Beckett shrugged his arms lose and climbed down his body. He felt the loss instantly and grabbed her hand tightly in his to calm his thudding heart.

"What was that?" they gulped in unison.

Gina was fuming. Absolutely fuming. Sure, she'd been pissed for at least half of this ill-fated weekend, but now she was livid. During her shower, she'd convinced herself beyond a shadow of a doubt that her initial gut feeling about Rick being awake to persuade her to stay was accurate. It was the only thing that made sense. It had lifted her mood substantially. That being noted, it was probably safe to assume when she'd stepped to the open doorway and seen Rick and the detective practically dry humping it had dampened her mood dramatically. Her last ditch hopes blasted away she'd huffed her way to the front door and slammed it with fervour. Little did she realise, she'd disturbed more than Castle and Beckett in the process.

Alexis woke with a start and wasn't completely sure why. Still, she was one of those people who once awake, couldn't really be bothered getting back to sleep. She glanced at her phone to check the time and gasped. Whoops. She'd almost forgotten about that. Seems like she had less time to laze around in bed than she thought. She pulled her robe on and sloppily tied up her hair.

Gina was still seething. She was muttering murderous sweet nothings and glaring in the general direction of the beach as she waited impatiently for her Uber. A car pulled into the drive and Gina strode towards it, before it had even come to a complete stop. She reefed the door open and recoiled in shock. A brilliant flash of red hair was spilling out the door.

"Oh," she gaped.

"Oh," Martha echoed. "Good morning dea—Gina." The tension was palpable. Gina was already in an atrocious mood. No time for chitchat. She stepped back, giving Martha a chance to rise from the car. As Rick's mother stepped around her, she dove into the backseat and unceremoniously slammed the door, shoving her luggage roughly onto the seat beside her.

"Get me out of here," she hissed at the driver. He shrugged, eyeing her with disinterest and planted his foot on the accelerator.

"Very well," Martha murmured to herself as the vehicle retreated. Things with Gina had always been pleasant enough so that made for a strange deviation from the norm. What an odd woman she was. Martha had never really taken to her as a daughter figure despite the marriage to her son. They'd always been amicable and that was more than enough for her. She drifted towards the house; not all that impressed to be awake at this hour of the morning. Her granddaughter had sounded more than desperate and she had to admit she was intrigued by her ramblings about the situation. Her gentleman suitor had been a bit of a bore anyway. A little bit of drama sounded like a thoroughly exciting alternative. That chirped her up somewhat as she opened the front door and flounced inside. She had taken maybe five steps into the house when she abruptly halted. Her eyes wide.

Alexis took the stairs unsteadily, her face still scrunched up in deference to the early morning sunlight streaming through the house. Her feet hit the final step and she surveyed the room around her. Her jaw dropped unceremoniously open and she froze where she stood.

Sure, the loud and unexpected noise had been a shock, but with Beckett's hand warm in his, he hadn't been able to help himself. Yes, they'd stepped inside to investigate, but had barely made it to the foyer when he'd paused and tugged her towards him once again. She'd come willingly, her lips pliable under his. So, they were maybe making out just a little bit a few feet from the base of the stairs. Call it detective's intuition, but Beckett rather suddenly had the sensation that they were being watched. She pried an eye open and caught the gaze of a blushing teenager. Never before had Alexis' skin tone so closely matched her hair colour. Beckett jerked away from Castle like she'd been stabbed with a burning poker. Her motion caused Castle's eyes to also fly open, he too found himself eye-to-eye with a shocked redhead. However, unlike Beckett, this redhead happened to be his mother. Despite the fact that Beckett had already flung herself away from him, Castle too jerked as if he'd been punched in the gut.

Wide eyed the four occupants of the room found themselves frantically casting their gazes around the room and registering exactly who was present. This led to them all making sufficiently strained eye contact with one another. Shock seemed to be the dominant reaction. In a move that served to make the situation all the more uncomfortable for everyone, Beckett wrenched the blanket from her shoulders and shoved it into Castle's hands, over his lap. It was not subtle. It did not diffuse the situation in any manner.

Martha, perhaps – surprisingly? – the most mature of the group, managed to form a coherent sentence, although it was peppered with light chuckles that bounced around the room and hit each occupant like a slap in the face.

"Well, well. _Good_ morning all!"

Castle let lose an injured howl of sorts in response.

 **AN: I suppose by this stage I'm sorry doesn't quite cut it? I have failed you all and I am terrible at updating. That is all. If you are still reading, thank you. I may just owe you my firstborn child by now…**


	14. Chapter 14

There were too many pairs of eyes on him. The owners of those eyes made it all the more uncomfortable given the circumstances. Beckett's eyes on him were fine, in fact they were better than that in a normal situation. Right this moment, though? Not so much. Not when her eyes were burning with embarrassment and a desperate plea for help. Probably not his favourite way to have Beckett staring at him. The other eyes were much, much worse, however. His mother's eyes were shining with laughter and small helping of judgement. He could almost hear them screaming, " _Really, Richard? In a communal part of the house?_ " He really was very good at reading her. Worst of all was his daughter. Her gaze was a deeper shade of Beckett's mortification combined with sheer pain. Apparently, the realisation that her dear old dad was a sexual being reiterated to her first thing in the morning was not a pleasant experience to tick off her embarrassment bucket list.

The only thing that could make this atrocious staring worse would be if damn Gina woke up and skulked down the stairs too. That would be just what he needed. Another completely unnecessary person crashing his moment with Beckett. He needed to evacuate himself from this situation immediately. He formed a less than coherent plan to get all the damn eyes off him and deal with the blanket… and the painfully obvious situation below the blanket.

Beckett really needed to stop looking at him with flushed cheeks and her slightly parted lips. She really, _really_ wasn't helping the _situation_. Yes, he definitely had to stop looking at Beckett – temporarily. That was the plan. Great plan. The tiny technicality was that in order to execute the plan he needed to stop looking at Beckett. He needed to consciously leave the same room that Beckett was in. Weirdly enough, he was finding that very counterproductive to all the plans he'd been having five minutes earlier. He liked those plans a lot more, like _a lot_ , a lot. They were good plans. This current plan, the not being in the same room as Beckett plan was not a good plan. Still he was running out of options. The uncomfortable staring silence was starting to seriously linger. Not cool. Not cool at all. Everyone seemed to be looking at him for an explanation, or just words in general. Okay, he could do this. He could be smooth as freshly groomed unicorn. Simple.

"Shower… me… umm," _good start Rick_ , he reassured himself, _totally seamless_. Still the staring at him continued, only intensified. Beckett's gaze shifted from ardent horror to humour. He cleared his throat, tried again, buoyed by what he perceived to be Beckett's look of encouragement (she almost had to bite her lip not to laugh at him in his moment of pain, her earlier chagrin at the awkwardness almost forgotten). "I'm going to shower." Nailed it. He nodded at the stairs and shuffled towards Alexis. His movement jolted her back to a basic level of functioning and she stumbled out of his way, giving him a wide berth. Castle lunged himself up the stairs and was gone in a flash, leaving three, still partially stunned women in his wake. Solid plan.

"Breakfast anyone?" Martha trilled sunnily. She dumped her bag unceremoniously in the foyer and started towards the kitchen. Alexis' gaze trailed her grandmother, however, she remained across from Beckett, slightly hesitant.

"Good morning, Alexis," Beckett smiled softly. "Sorry about all that," she gestured loosely at where Castle had been standing."

"You know, it's strange. It's kind of what I wanted, but now what I want is to never see it again," Castle's daughter returned her smile with a brief shudder. Beckett panicked momentarily, Alexis didn't want them to be together after all? She regretted her little matchmaking scheme? The girl must have read her panic. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that. Just you know what I mean? I'm happy you guys finally sorted it out. Really. I just _so_ didn't need to see that first thing in the morning," she grinned.

"Let's help your grandmother with breakfast," Beckett nodded, the faintest trace of relief coating the edges of her tone. Clearly, Martha was still easily within conversational earshot as –

"I could use a Bloody Mary Alexis darling," carried from the kitchen. Alexis laughed wholeheartedly at that and followed Beckett into the kitchen. It was quite a sight, Martha's head was buried in the fridge and she was busy piling foodstuffs onto the bench. She didn't bother to look as she tossed each item over her shoulder. Beckett grabbed the eggs teetering on the edge, arriving just in time. Martha, having found everything she was evidently looking for, turned to her with a smile. "It is lovely to see you Katherine."

"I'm glad to be here," Beckett's response was genuine. There was nowhere else she'd rather be… apart from upstairs, in the shower with Castle. But that probably went without saying. Especially to Castle's mother.

"Now, I don't mean to be nosey, but my son has been decidedly pouty these last few weeks about a certain handsome robbery detective monopolising your time. Schlemming or some such," she gave a dismissive shake of her hand. "So, how did we end up with you here with us all this weekend?" Martha cracked an egg a dropped it into a bowl as she spoke. Beckett blushed fiercely. Castle really was quite open and honest with his family. Perhaps a little too much at times. Still, it was sweet. She loved the natural rapport between Castle and his family. It was one of his more redeeming qualities, especially when compared to his early public cocky front. That guy was a tool. Admittedly, a slightly charming tool, but a tool nonetheless. The sweet family man with the frank relationship with his mother and daughter was a different story.

"Castle invited me?" she started hesitantly. Martha nodded enthusiastically for her to continue. "I said yes… in the end, I mean, I did decline at first. But, I changed my mind and well, here I am."

"Here you are indeed," Martha beamed. "You seem to be, uh _enjoying_ yourself here." Beckett blushed again. It seems the awkward incident was not entirely forgotten. She had a feeling that Martha would dredge it up rather regularly. It overwhelmed her for a moment. The thought, much too far ahead of herself, that if this tentative, new thing with Castle was an actual legitimate thing – like she was _so_ sure it would be – then this would be one of those memories that his mother would bring up year after year when they made _their_ annual trek out the Hamptons for the summer. Oh good god. She was getting _way_ too far ahead of herself. She was in _way_ too deep. Too, too deep.

Yet, she couldn't help but smile as her mind drifted ahead of her heart and conjured up a future that was seeming all too possible after one heated make-out session. She was screwed. She was way too into Castle already. She was very deeply at risk of actually falling for this one. She hadn't genuinely done that, ever. Oh dear, oh dear. He would actually have the power to break her heart and that was damn near terrifying. Except, the more she thought about it, the more she found that she was inexplicitly excited more than anything else. The fear wasn't really a dominant factor at all. That was odd. Normally fear was the dominant thing she had going in relationships. Well, that and shutting people out emotionally so fear didn't have a chance to factor into the equation. And even so, here was Castle, destroying all the emotional walls she usually put up to keep people out. Interesting. She should be so beyond terrified by now, but here she was, making breakfast with his family and feeling completely at ease. Well, not quite _completely_ …

"Demming," she corrected. "I broke things off with him. It wasn't serious. He wasn't who I wanted to be with." It was delayed, considering she'd already answered Martha. But, she wanted to be clear. She wasn't toying with her son for the weekend. She wasn't attached to anyone. She was here. She was also decidedly attached to Castle, although thankfully no longer physically attached in the presence of company.

"Richard definitely said Schlemming," Martha mused, looking to Alexis for confirmation. The girl nodded. "Not to worry," she continued with another dramatic flair of outstretched arms. Beckett snickered. Of course he had.

"I don't think Castle liked him all that much…"

"A real mystery that one," Alexis added her two cents with a grin.

They continued cooking, the conversation falling to the wayside in a natural manner that curled Beckett's insides with joy. The ease that came with family.

Castle stood unnoticed in the doorway for some time, watching. Beckett seemed relaxed and his heart caught in his throat at the manner with which she approached his family. She shared gentle smiles with his daughter as she handed her bits and pieces to place on the table. She steadied the frypan smoothly as his mother flamboyantly moved about the kitchen. Never a dull moment with that one. He liked this picture immensely. There was something about the natural way Beckett seemed to connect with his mother and his daughter that made his longing for a hypothetical future seem tangible. After his _moment_ with Beckett this morning, he felt he could almost reach out and touch that future. It was coming to life, right before his eyes, in his kitchen. So, he stood and stared unapologetically watching the scenes that had once only played in his mind slipping into reality before him. His chest swelled and he wanted to be a part of it.

He moved to his mother's side and pressed a smacking kiss to her cheek.

"Mother, although shocking, it is lovely to see you. Any reason you changed your plans?"

"Oh, this and that. As it turns out, my gentleman friend was a bit of a bore," she shrugged flippantly. She stepped back from the stove and pushed the eggflip into his hand. He took over, Beckett now at his side as his mother floated around the other side of the bench, sipping at her Bloody Mary with a wink. With his free hand, he pulled Beckett into his side, quickly squeezing her waist in an unspoken and affectionate greeting before releasing her. He glanced down at her and she was smiling shyly up at him in response.

He finished frying the omelette his mother had started and they sat down to breakfast. The morning slipped away as they sat at the table, eating and engaging in easy conversation, laughing often at Castle's expense. Someone he didn't mind that everyone, his mother, his daughter and his _girlfriend?_ included had an embarrassing story – or twelve – to share about him. They migrated to the pool as the sun settled high in the sky.

His mother sat in the shallows, cocktail in hand, a vibrant green hat on her head. He was sure the satellites could see her. Alexis swam, slow, languid laps back and forth across the pool. Beckett was sprawled on a deck chair, book in her hand. He – of course because where else would he be? – was in the chair by her side. He too had a book in his hand, but his brain was failing to register the words, possibly the result of his gaze drifting to Beckett every twenty seconds or so. She caught him staring every minute or so and her cheeks would tinge with the lightest shade of pink. After a while he noticed that she had stopped turning the pages of her book, her behaviour mirroring his. A blank stare at the words on the page before lifting her eyes to glance at him. She was studying him as carefully as he was studying her. He gave up on keeping his distance, she was as distracted as he was anyway. He shuffled his chair a few inches closer and intertwined his fingers with hers, resting on the edge of her chair, the back of his hand brushing her thigh. She lit up. Her eyes shining. He beamed at her. She put the book down and lay back, soaking up the sun, tracing gentle patterns on his skin with the tips of her fingers.

"Oh," Alexis gasped, a meaningful look in their direction. Castle tightened his grip on Beckett's hand, scared she would pull away, but she gave it a quick squeeze and didn't try to untangle her fingers. "Um, not that I really care, but it's odd…" Castle gazed at his daughter apprehensively, gesturing for her to continue with the jerk of his brows. "Where's Gina?"

Martha looked up from her daiquiri and released a pearl of laughter.

 **AN: You guys are the greatest. Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Kate Beckett considered herself to be an observant person. An exceptionally observant person to be precise. She had to be, given her line of work. However, she honest to god had not noticed that Gina was missing. It literally hadn't registered. Whoops? She found she didn't really care that her observational skills were at an all-time low in this instance either.

Castle ignored his mother's laughter. How would she have any clue? She'd only been here a few hours. Strange woman. He focussed on answering his daughter instead.

"What if she's been murdered in her bed and someone's trying to frame me?" he exclaimed.

"Uh, dad?" Alexis murmured, "I don't think you're supposed to sound that excited about a potential murder…" Castle scoffed in response, grinning sheepishly at his daughter.

"Don't worry, Castle," Beckett interjected softly, "I'll be your alibi."

"Oh… a little gross!" Alexis blushed. Beckett's cheeks reddened somewhat in response too. She hadn't quite meant it to sound like that.

Still, Martha continued laughing. She would pause for a moment, the conversation would continue, she would listen and then proceed to chuckle some more. What on earth? She'd clearly lost it.

"Mother?" Castle's confusion was outweighed by his curiosity. "Something you'd like to share?"

"Oh no, keep theorizing. You're doing a fantastic job." Castle eyed her incredulously, all that laughter for nothing? Beckett sighed. There was one way to solve the lamest case ever. She'd never been less motivated to get to the bottom of something. Gina could stay disappeared for all she cared. This weekend had only been on the up-on-up with Gina's presence a mystery. Despite seeing no merit to Castle's insane theory of murder, it was weird that Gina was missing in action. She didn't seem one to back down despite clearly fighting a losing battle.

"You know, Castle," she stage whispered – his mother wasn't the only one who could convey dramatic effect – "if I go upstairs to check on Gina and she has indeed been murdered you're going to be looking pretty guilty. Should I have packed my cuffs?"

"Yes…" Castle breathed, heat flaring in his gaze. Oh. She hadn't meant like _that_. She'd have to keep that in mind for when they returned to the city, given Castle's reaction.

"Hey guys, gross again," Alexis sighed, crinkling her nose in mock – ? – disgust. Clearly the teen had gotten the extra connotation with that too, just fantastic. Castle hoped her sweet psyche wasn't too fragile… Beckett presented Alexis with an apologetic grimace of sorts. She made to get up from her deckchair, readying herself to go check on bloody Gina. She was sure she'd regret that particular choice of words if Gina had actually been murdered, but still an unlikely outcome so she wasn't all that concerned.

"I wouldn't bother, darling," Martha chortled.

"Why do I get the feeling you know exactly where Gina is?" Beckett replied, steadying herself back into her seat, eyes fixed on the colourful character in the pool before her.

"I wouldn't say that," Martha started…

"What would you say, Mother?" Castle sighed, eyeing her shrewdly.

"I would say that I know exactly where she isn't," the redhead grinned.

"And where is that, Grams?" Alexis chimed in, keen to get to the bottom of what her grandmother clearly knew that everyone else was evidently missing.

"I know she's not upstairs." All eyes on her egged her to continue. She paused dramatically. "If I had to guess. I'd say she's back in the New York by now."

"C'mon Grams. How do you know?" Alexis was practically begging, intrigued by her grandmother's cryptic form of storytelling.

"Spit it out already," Castle moaned, a little more frustrated with the theatrics than dying of curiosity.

"Well," more deliberate, tension building pausing. Beckett bit back the urge to laugh, or roll her eyes, she wasn't quite sure which reaction was winning. Martha continued with flourish, "As I was arriving this morning, Gina practically yanked me from my cab and whizzed away within moments. She looked less than impressed. If I had to guess… I'd assume she'd been in the foyer within a minute or so of myself…"

"So?" Castle shrugged. "What's the foyer got to do with anything?"

"Oh, Richard darling, I was hoping not to bring it up again so soon…" she winked at her son. Castle glared at her until she continued. "Well, when I entered the foyer, I encountered an intimate scene between yourself and the lovely Katherine. I think it's safe to assume that Gina was probably privy to the same scene."

Castle gaped at her. Well, crap. That would definitely piss Gina off. The final nail in the coffin. His next book was going to be edited just a little too thoroughly, he was professionally screwed. So much for work-life balance. Still, no regrets, no regrets all at. Beckett released a little groan. Gina could have walked right past them and she wouldn't have noticed. Hell, Gina could have said farewell to them and she still wouldn't have clicked. She was a little caught up in the moment. The fact she'd made out with Castle for a good few mississippis whilst his mother and daughter stood watching on was enough of a sign of that. Oh well, it had happened now and she didn't regret it for a second. No point dwelling on it. Or so she thought, Martha obviously didn't agree –

"Personally, I was rather fond of the scene. Although, I would have been satisfied to have heard about it second-hand as opposed to gawking at the pair of you. Gina, on the other hand, probably looked less fondly on it. Really Richard, what were you thinking inviting your ex-wife out here?" Castle opened his mouth to respond, but it seemed his mother had, from her perspective, formed a seemingly rhetorical question as she continued. "You were unhappy that Beckett had a date or two with Schlemming so you overreacted I'm sure. You are Gina are well-suited on paper, that's all, in reality you were a terrible match."

"I know, Mother. She was here to help with my writing," Castle muttered sullenly. His mother was right, but he didn't need to hear it, especially in front of Beckett. Somehow, his mother always managed to make him feel like a sixteen year old on his first date. Her timing was impeccably poor. That was one thing he could count on when it came to her sage advice.

"Lucky I re-invited myself out here after turning you down then, hey Castle? Saved you from doing something pretty stupid," Beckett clasped his hand softly and smiled affectionately at him.

"Thank you, Kate," he returned her smile, eyes warm. "It would have been a massive mistake," he added as an afterthought. A brief shudder rolling through him. "Ugh."

"So, Gina's gone. How heart-wrenching," Alexis rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Good riddance. Can we talk about something else now and pretend that whole uncomfortableness never happened."

"I still can't believe you made up a boyfriend to get rid of her," Beckett giggled. Castle was conflicted. Beckett's words caused him to cringe, but her gorgeous tinkling tone so etched with joy made him want to do nothing more than gape at her longingly.

"I made up no such thing, Detective," Alexis grinned. "All fact," she winked. Martha gazed at Castle apprehensively, he continued to grimace in evident pain.

"Alexis, darling, a boyfriend?" she eyed her granddaughter speculatively.

"I'll fill you in later," she waved her away, "spare Dad the juicy details." Castle noticeably paled at that. Beckett patted his arm sympathetically.

"It's five o-clock somewhere," Beckett murmured sweetly, "think it might be time for a glass of wine, Castle." He huffed in a breath, apparently he'd stopped that breathing thing a moment ago, it may have coincided with his daughter talking. Funny that. He managed a strained nod.

After a moment, he followed Beckett into the kitchen. There was only so much of his daughter's teasing that he could take. She knew what she was doing to him. He wanted a moment with Beckett. That would soothe his impending insanity.

He found himself strangely nervous, given the morning's events.

"Beckett," he husked, standing just out of her reach. She almost jumped out of her skin. She'd been caught up, humming a sweet, summery song and she hadn't registered that Castle had followed her in from the pool. She turned towards him, and stepped into the frame of his body without a moment's hesitation. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and felt his whole diaphragm relax. No second thoughts then. That knowledge was so far beyond a relief it wasn't funny. His arms extended to wrap around Beckett. He grasped her tightly. She dipped her head to press a warm kiss to the edge of his collarbone. His skin alighted with goose-bumps at the sensation.

"Castle," she breathed into his skin, her nose nuzzling his throat.

"Beckett," he tried again. Coherent sentences and all that. "Will you have dinner with me tonight? Can I take you out? Restaurant? Candlelight? All that jazz?" he released a nervous laugh.

"Yes," she smiled into his skin. "Yes, Castle. I'll go on a date with you." He found his lips curling into a splitting smile without even consciously permitting it. He took half a step back and cupped his fingers gently under her chin. He tipped her head back and pressed his lips fiercely to hers.

He was aiming to have more self-control this time, really he was. It seemed she had other ideas. Beckett was the one to deepen the kiss, nipping at his bottom lip before soothing it with the stroke of her tongue. Her tongue, oh god, it was truly something else. Never had an organ seemed so flexible, so pliable to his demands. Before he knew it, his fingers were tweaking her hardened nipples through her bikini and she was panting into his mouth. He backed her towards the bench, avoiding the half-filled – they definitely weren't half empty today of all days – wine glasses purely by chance. Her hips hit the marble surface and thrusted back towards him, her pelvis crashing into his. He moaned, desire dripping from his mouth. She did her darndest to catch every ounce of it with her own. She fused her lips with his and pushed off against him to climb up onto the bench. He stepped with her, letting her lock her legs around him as he pressed himself as close as physically possible to her.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Alexis bellowed, covering her eyes and spinning out the door, back to the pool.

"I warned you," Martha trilled, her voice booming through the open door.

"I thought they would've learned their lesson about communal spaces," Alexis groaned. "Apparently not."

Castle growled and tore himself away from Beckett. He paced the kitchen glaring at her through a haze of lust.

"Christ, Beckett," he muttered.

"You started it," she shrugged with a grin.

"No, you did, with all your, that and that," he crudely shaped her figure with his hands. She chuckled and followed his gaze, appraising her crinkled outfit with the click of her tongue. She rearranged her bikini so it covered everything it was supposed to once again. His gaze followed the movement of her hands, hot and heavy. She readjusted again, just for the sake of it, very aware of his eyes on her.

"Stop that," he hissed. "You are not helping me _calm down_ ," he gestured helplessly.

"You need to go apologise to your poor daughter," she smirked a little. "I'll finish getting the wine." He gestured once again. "Go jump in the pool?" she shrugged with a laugh.

"You suck, Beckett," he whined.

"Oh, just you wait," she eyed suggestively. He got it. It _so_ didn't help.

"Beckett," he warned. She laughed again and turned to fill their wineglasses.

"Here," she pressed a glass into his hand and a gentle kiss to his cheek. She sashayed her way towards the door, turning just before she reached it. "Hey Castle," she murmured softly, hoping to prevent her voice from carrying outside, "it may be worth booking a hotel room for our date tonight." He gaped at her before nodding bashfully.

"I concur," Alexis groaned, "and while you're at it, book me a therapist."

 **AN: I'm thinking there will be two more chapters – date night and an epilogue. No guarantees as to when I'll get them up, but I'll try not to leave you hanging too long!**


	16. Chapter 16

Castle tried to convey the appropriate level of chagrin as he returned to his girls by the pool.

"Sorry about that sweetie," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the crown of Alexis' head where it stuck out from the iridescent water. She merely glared at him in response.

Silence fell over the four and Beckett allowed her eyes to slip shut. The sun felt amazing on her skin. She missed the summers of her youth, where she'd been able to spend the bulk of the day outdoors, enjoying the sensation of the salt leeching into her lungs. Nowadays, work prevented her from lazy picnics in the sunshine. She found her skin had paled over the years, the tan that seemed so permanent when she was a child slowly ebbing away. Employment was a downer like that. Still, today was good. Fresh air helped her revaluate her priorities somewhat. Napping was the way to go.

She must have slept in earnest because the next thing she processed was Castle tickling her eyelashes. Her nose twitched. He did it again. She flicked her eyes open with a start. He tried to act nonchalant. She scowled at him just a little bit. He was such a goofball. He giggled at her reaction – actually giggled. It was a little adorable. Her face relaxed somewhat. He beamed.

"Never a dull moment with me, Beckett." He got a raised eyebrow in response.

"Clearly," she added dryly, her words contributing to her non-verbal message of mildly irritated facial expressions.

"I'm glad you're awake my lovely Beckett. I'm, uh, not sure how long you like to take to get ready for things. I figure you'll want to shower and whatever," he glanced at his watch. "I made a reservation for seven. That's just over an hour away."

"Such convenient timing that I just woke up then…" she chuckled. He grinned and gestured towards the door. She rubbed her eyes with a yawn and rose somewhat gracelessly to her feet, sleep still colouring her movements. She softly brushed her lips over his cheek. "You're a bit weird, Castle. Thanks for waking me up."

"Never going to be boring, Beckett!" he called after her as she walked into the house. She turned, throwing him an amused smile over her shoulder.

She stood at the entry of the shower, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't have anything to wear. She'd backed beachy stuff and that was about it. Nothing that screamed monumentally significant first date with Castle. She wanted something that would _wow him_ , wow him. It had to be unforgettable. She hadn't really thought this far ahead when she'd been packing. Where was Lanie when she needed her? Oh wait. This was the twenty-first century after all. Lanie was within reach. She pulled her cell to her ear and dialled.

"Hey girl," she could hear the smile on Lanie's lips through the phone.

"Hi," she breathed, finding herself smiling too. Lanie was quiet, which Beckett imagined took her a great deal of self-control considering she was probably dying of curiosity. She paused too, just to tease her friend a little bit. Lanie broke first.

"So…" she hedged.

"Hypothetically speaking, if I had a date tonight, what in my bag should I wear?" Beckett's words came out in a rush of breath. Lanie chortled.

"Yeeeees!" she cheered a moment later. "Oh, I knew it. I knew it would work out."

"Who said the date is with Castle?" Beckett teased.

"Oh don't even," Lanie huffed. "I may have prepared a contingency plan with this in mind," she added coyly.

"Huh?" Beckett paused in thought. "Lanie. I'm not asking you for birth control. I got that covered all by myself." Lanie laughed so hard she forgot to breathe. She pounded on her chest, trying to restart her heart. Beckett considered it some more. "Did you stash some colourful, kinky edible lingerie in my bag?"

"Oh girl, you gotta stop. Lemme catch my breath," Lanie continued laughing hysterically. "Woo. You're a treasure, Kate." A male voice echoed dully through the phone, apparently Lanie had company. Beckett was too caught up in figuring out what Lanie was on about to register that the voice had actually sounded strikingly familiar… "I've got to go honey. Just, look in that top pocket. I may have snuck a little something-something in there for you."

"I'll reserve my thanks until I've looked…" Beckett muttered dryly. "But, thanks Lanie," she softened. "I'm having the best time."

"I'll be calling back for details tomorrow! Talk to you then." The call ended with that. Beckett stared at the blackened screen, shaking her head for just a moment. She wasn't totally sure she even wanted to check what Lanie had left her. Her friend was really something.

She tugged the zipper on her bag with a nervous half-smile. _Oh_. Lanie had outdone herself. She hadn't even pulled the dress out yet, just the feel of the fabric running through her fingers was enough to make her grin. Her favourite. Well, one of them. It was one of those dresses that made her feel beautiful, no matter what kind of day she was having. It was perfect. She silently praised the miracle that was Lanie's foresight.

Castle fidgeted nervously with his top button. He was really struggling to decide whether he should leave it open and go for a little bit more of the beach casual vibe or pop a tie on. Every decision felt weighted. This was so much more than the crappy dates he'd been on in the past. There was a certain enormity that the evening entailed. He found he was frequently licking his lips, his mouth drying out at an imperceptive rate. He gulped. He was parched. He needed to calm down. Get his confidence in check. Overconfidence was usually his forte.

It was weird, he thought, preparing for their first date in the same house. He want to knock on her door with a bunch of flowers and apprehensively clear his throat whilst he listened for signs that she was coming to drag the deadbolt open. He kind of wanted all the clichés. Come to think of it, there may be one or two things starting to blossom around the side of the house. He glanced at his watch. Maybe, just maybe, if he was quick.

Alexis watched him hustle outside and was instantly curious. She paused before following, replaying the last few minutes in her head. She was pretty sure Beckett hadn't come down the stairs. So, there was a slim chance she'd walk in on her father and the detective doing all _that_ again. Still, she'd been wrong before, so for the sake of her sanity and stomach she started after her father very, _very_ loudly. It was probably for the best.

She found him in the shrubbery, rusted scissors in hand. Umm… Sure, she was young and she didn't know all that much about dating, but gardening did not seem like not seem like typical pre-date behaviour. Her dad was quirky, but even this was a little out of character.

"Dad?" she tried to keep her voice steady and calm. She figured, when dealing with an apparent mental breakdown, a measured tone was probably best.

"Huh? Ah?" He startled at her words. Looked up. Confusion coloured his countenance. "Umm?"

"What'ya doing?" she added casually. Definitely a fake casual. Clearly, the pressure or stress or something had gotten to her father and he was on the brink of some sort of meltdown.

"Flowers," he mumbled distractedly and spun around to continue searching more of the garden.

"Okay," that didn't make him seem less insane. This was becoming increasingly more concerning. She hung back, watching him uncertainly as he continued rummaging through the bushes. Absolutely mad. That was the only explanation. He let loose a shriek of joy.

"Yes!" he carefully cut the flowers from the corner of the shrub. Horticulture was not his forte, but he was relatively sure his gardener wouldn't have planted anything poisonous and the simple lilac blooms were pretty enough. That would do. A whole lot better than nothing. He wondered if he could find some ribbon in Alexis' ancient craft supplies in the bottom drawer of the laundry. Another frantic glance at his watch assured him he probably had another minute or two. Should be enough. Barely. He whipped around and noticed that his daughter was still standing there. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and hurried back inside.

Alexis was still sure that her father had lost a considerable portion of his mind. He'd just plucked some weeds – albeit lovely weeds – but weeds nonetheless from the garden with glee. What was he going to do with a bunch of weeds at a time like this? So strange. She figured, she'd better keep an eye on him, just to make sure he didn't hurt himself or do something else completely crazy. This was certainly an odd descent into madness. She hung back, but watched him keenly.

He dug through a drawer of miscellaneous colours and craft supplies from when Alexis had been about seven. Sure, that was normal behaviour. He had definitely lost the plot. He held a strip of lace to the light. It was a little browned and he frowned. He shook the dust from it and shrugged, apparently settled that it would serve the task his mind had set for it. He tied it around the bunch of weeds and Alexis scrunched up her nose in confusion. Seriously. He really seemed infatuated with those weeds. That was not a good sign.

He finished tying a bow and was off again, Alexis lurking behind him. He marched up the stairs, eyes flicking to his watch. Alexis hung back at the top of the stairwell, darting her head around the corner to watch him. Her father knocked on the door of one of the guest bedrooms.

Beckett was a touch confused, she glanced at her phone. She still had a couple of minutes before she'd agreed to meet Castle downstairs. It wasn't like she was running late. So, why was there somewhat frantic knocking on her bedroom door.

"Coming Castle," she called, assuming that it would be he who was banging on door. She tugged on her shoe and opened the door. Her heart just about dropped out of her chest. _Oh._ Castle stood before her, a bunch of beautiful, soft wildflowers outstretched before him. He wore an appropriately abashed expression. He had knocked on the door perhaps a little too enthusiastically. He cleared his throat.

"You look…stunning," he appraised gently, his eyes sweeping over her in waves. "These are for you." He extended the flowers a touch further towards her. She took them gratefully, holding them to her face and inhaling a deep breath. Her nose crinkled instantly. Okay. Kind of pretty. Smelt horrendous. Probably best not the comment. She wanted to laugh and she did. A small, nervous giggle escaped her.

"Thanks Castle," she paused. "What kind of flowers are they?"

"Oh…" he flicked his hand around aimlessly. "Lilac something or other." He looked a little embarrassed. "They're from my garden," he shrugged.

"Mmm," her eyes were still laughing. He eyed her speculatively.

"What?"

"Here," she pushed the bunch beneath his nose. He gagged a little.

"Oh god, Beckett. Those are horrible! I'm sorry!" He was absolutely crestfallen. She felt bad. Perhaps, she shouldn't have mentioned it. He had made such an effort. Oh, she was terrible at this dating thing. She was just so used to teasing being the undercurrent of their relationship. She needed to fix it. Poor guy was devastated.

"Hey Castle. I really appreciate the gesture. Very, _very_ romantic." Partly to demonstrate her sincerity and partly because she was desperate to, she dumped the flowers and put her fingers around Castle's neck. She massaged the soft tendrils of hair at the nape of his neck for a moment before tugging him in for a searing kiss.

 _Oh god_ , Alexis balked at the scene. _Not again_. She'd brought it on herself this time she supposed. She slunk back down the stairs with the shake of her head. Time for a cup of tea. Something calming, peppermint perhaps.

Castle regained the use of his lungs. He gazed at Beckett in admiration, resting his forehead against hers and breathing unsteadily.

"Shall we go?" he husked. She nodded against him. He drew back reluctantly, clasping her hand gently in his. They ducked into the kitchen to farewell his family for the evening.

"Dad, those were weeds," Alexis hissed at her father as he hugged her goodnight.

"Hush child," he chided, evidently a little chagrined still. She grinned at him cheekily in response. Sometimes she was a little too much his child.

"Have fun kiddos," Martha called. Alexis palmed her forehead with a groan.

"Don't encourage them, Grams," she muttered, exasperated.

 **AN: Okay, I may have accidentally written an extra chapter. There are still two to come: date night + the epilogue. Whoops?**


	17. Chapter 17

Never before had the backseat of a cab seemed both so constricted and insurmountably wide all at the same time. There was palpable heat fizzing through the cabin. It cackled and hissed and Beckett was sure the cab driver could hear it. Her ears were burning with it. Yet, somehow at the same time, there was a chasm between them. Almost touching, but not. Only the currents of electricity pulsing through them bridging the connection. It wasn't enough. Not after all the touching they'd already done today. To hell with boundaries. She inched her hand along the divide and clasped Castle's fingers with hers.

He turned to her and absolutely beamed. A breathtakingly joyous thing that she couldn't help but echo. Now that she held his hands, she could feel that he was rumbling with nervous energy. She was sure that if they had been standing instead of seated he would be bouncing. It was strange, she was twisted with nerves too. She didn't usually become this bundle of fidgety energy. The thing was, it wasn't because she wasn't sure. It was much the opposite, she was too sure. This whole moment between Castle and herself was weighted with too much importance. It was consequential. It meant something. She wasn't an idiot. It wasn't about conquests anymore. It hadn't been for a long time. It was about one and done and that was just insane to admit, especially so soon into this.

It wasn't your standard first date. They'd laid all the groundwork already. They'd asked all the questions already. They knew each other. Secrets and all. It wasn't the start of something so much as the next logical step. Somehow, even with all that in mind, it was somewhat terrifying. She sensed it and so did Castle. She wasn't hiding in relationships she didn't fully invest herself in anymore. She was taking her stand. This was their moment, she could feel it.

Castle nursed her hand in his and bit his lip to contain his glee. He was so far beyond excited that he was fairly certain he was literally buzzing. She looked _stunning_. He didn't even have the words… and here she was, on a date with _him_. Best summer ever. Or at least, a tie with that time he and Alexis had built sandcastles all day and laughed until their sides burned. That was a different kind of best anyway. This, _this_ was something extraordinary.

The cab grumbled to a halt, tyres screeching through the gravel. Castle pulled a note from his wallet without looking and held it in the direction of the driver. With a quick squeeze of Beckett's hand, he pulled away and launched from his seat at an unnecessary speed. Beckett held in a giggle as he frantically sprinted around the cab to beat the driver in opening her door. She took his outstretched hand with delight, stepping into his side. The driver attempted to hand Castle his change, but he brushed him off, leaving a generous tip that had the man smirking. Folks always seemed more giving when they were smitten and these two clearly couldn't keep their eyes – and hands – off each other.

The restaurant Castle had chosen was settled by the harbour. The light spilling from it to bounce along the surface of the water in the gentle swell. Diners were seated on an elegant patio, nautical style lanterns bathed the tables in ambient light. It was beautiful. It was smaller and less lavish than she'd anticipated with Castle. She was surprised by the simplicity of him sometimes. His wealth, although real, wasn't always paraded, it was almost an act when he did show it off.

"Alexis' favourite," he murmured, his breath brushing the nape of her neck. It was warm, yet she shivered. He pulled her closer, his hand rising to caress a steady path from her shoulder to her forearm.

"It's perfect," she assured him, turning to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. The warmth of her lips so close to his pushed his nerves away. He turned her in his arms so that they were face to face. She'd barely had time to lick her lips in anticipation and he was on her, kissing her soundly. She equalled him, bringing her arms around his waist and holding him tight.

"Thought the kiss came at the end of the date," she husked when he regretfully broke away for air (and the propriety of society and all that jazz).

"I'm not one to waste an opportunity," Castle grinned impishly. "Besides, you're dating a little bit of a rebel, Beckett. I'm not always one to follow the rules." His desire to come across just a little sexy and intriguing was tarnished when his date erupted in giggles. He scowled at her, but there was no bite behind it. She figured it was probably best to explain herself before Castle's delicate sensibilities were damaged.

"I think I know better than anyone just how much of a rule-breaker you are Castle." Still, he looked puzzled. She continued, "When have you ever followed any rule that I've given you? The number of times I've demanded you stay in the car only to have you by my side moments later." He shrugged.

"Nine times out of ten I'm much more useful out of the car. Plus, it's more fun. No denying it, Beckett."

"I'm not sure _fun_ is the term I'd go with…" Beckett sighed, she was smiling though so Castle ignored the intonation.

"Speaking of fun, shall we head in," he gestured to the restaurant, the front door a few paces away. She nodded, her lips still graced with a soft smile. He nudged her forwards, opening the door and sweeping her through in true gentlemanly fashion. A bright faced teen, only a couple of years older than his daughter at most greeted them jovially.

"Good evening, Mister Castle," the young man beamed. He peered around Beckett as if expecting someone else. Her heart suck suddenly. Maybe this was his regular spot with Gina too. Was that who this kid was looking for? The thought of it stung. She wanted it to be special. She wanted it to be theirs. It may have been selfish, Gina had been his _wife_ after all. Surely, she had dined in all the nice restaurants around here with him. Still, was something that was theirs alone too much to ask? The teen looked crestfallen for a moment and Beckett wondered if he was mirroring her expression. he masked it quickly though, returning to his job.

Castle's was eyeing the kid speculatively. The boy clearly knew who he was. How did he know him? Come to think of it, he looked vaguely familiar. Actually, he looked a little like a grown up version of that kid from down his street who used to play with Alexis most summers. Oh god. It was him. Boy, had he shot up from the summer before. What was his name again… He wracked his mind frantically for a second before drawing a blank.

"Hey… you," he smiled easily. "How are your parents?"

"Very well, sir," the teen replied. "I see here you have a reservation for two. I'll, uh, seat you now. Follow me." He wound through the tables to a corner of the patio, intimate yet open. "Is this okay? I tried to put you near the water because I know it's Alexis' favourite spot." He blushed furiously and Beckett's mood lifted to its earlier state. He hadn't looked bummed at the door because he was used to seeing Gina. He had been expecting to see Alexis and was clearly very disappointed that she wasn't the plus one here with her father. Castle seemed somewhat oblivious to the teen's true feelings.

"Yeah, she loves it here. This is great, thanks," he slid into his seat smiling politely at the kid. Beckett took the chair the boy was extending for her with a knowing look. His face reddened once again and he hurried away.

"I feel bad, I can't for the life of me remember his name… That reminds me, I have to invite Marge and Steve over for dinner sometime this summer. The kids too."

"Castle," Beckett interrupted his spoken thoughts. "You know he has a name tag on right." He eyed her speculatively.

"Umm… It may have slipped by me. You're to blame."

"Me?"

"Yes, you're looking much too distracting this evening," Caste pouted dramatically.

"Fine. I'll tone it down next time," Beckett teased dryly.

"Don't. You. Dare." Castle gasped, punctuating each word with the click of his tongue. Mock outrage painting his countenance. She liked that they could joke about next time like it was a given – maybe it was? It certainly seemed that way.

"How often do you and Alexis come here?" Beckett mused, her eyes drifting to the wine list.

"A couple of times a summer," Castle replied with a shrug. "Mother likes it too."

"Brian, the young waiter, seems to know Alexis well," she hedged.

"Brian, yes that's it. I was stuck on Bradley for some reason. That might be the younger brother… Oh yeah, his family live about three houses down from our house. He's played with Alexis most summers that we've been up here."

"Uh huh. So you know that he has a massive crush on Alexis, right?" Castle's eyes jerked from the menu to Beckett's face with a flash of terror.

"Wha-at?" he choked.

"Mmm," Beckett hummed.

"Why do I get the feeling that my sweet daughter will be getting revenge on me tenfold for the times she's seen me kissing you this weekend," he groaned direly.

Brian returned to take their drink order and Castle was having trouble smiting him with laser beams from his eyeballs despite desperately willing it to work. Instead, he settled for frowning and giving clipped answers. Beckett seemed to be compensating for his sudden change in demeanour towards the kid. She was purposely friendly. Still, Castle continued to glare. Beckett stuck him with a fierce eye-roll as Brian left the table, the poor boy withered slightly from his stony encounter with the father of girl he'd been dying to see all summer.

"Why can't she be seven forever," Castle grumbled. "All this growing up business is ridiculous."

"Caaaa-stle," Beckett murmured soothingly, reaching across the table to rub calming circles on the back of his hand.

Her touch grounded him back to reality and the reality was that he was moping about his teenage daughter on their date. He was probably doing a terrible job at romancing her. He was conflicted somewhat. This was them, their usual banter. He trusted Beckett enough to talk about Alexis and seriously considering anything she might input. He didn't trust anyone else he dated with that, not even Meredith. Usually, he was all smooth and suave and his date was some bimbo-esque creature eating out of his hand. It sounded atrocious, but he didn't tend to date anyone he actually respected as much as Beckett. He didn't fully know what to do with this even footing. He wanted to wow her, but the usual gimmicks wouldn't work with Beckett. So they were left with this, this normality that made it feel less like a typical date and more like another teasing lunch with his best friend. Ultimately, that was what she was. They already knew each other too well for an act. He perked up at that and decided to play the hand he knew was guaranteed to garner a reaction.

"So Beckett, back to our conversation earlier. I feel we left it unfinished," he smirked at her and she was instantly both curious and apprehensive. "Have you ever cuffed someone during you know…?" he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Castle," she breathed laughingly, glad for the change in tone, moping wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind for their date. "Do you know how bacteria ridden my cuffs are? Think about the people you've seen me slap them on. Not exactly the picture of hygiene and cleanliness." Castle's mind cycled through a few less than savoury perps and he grimaced.

"I'm sure antibacterial wipes will do the trick," he shrugged after a moment's consideration. She was still gaping at him with the steady shake of her head when Brian placed a glass of wine before her. She quickly schooled her features, daring Castle with her eyes to be anything less than civil. He offered a begrudging thank you to the teen which he returned with a nervous shudder before he retreated, hands shaking just a tad.

"You keep this up, he's not going to come back to take our dinner orders," Beckett teased.

"A small sacrifice for establishing some healthy fear," Castle replied breezily. "Oh, did you bring your gun? It could be great if you could just polish it in the foyer or something when he comes calling for my daughter," he exclaimed excitedly.

A petrified squeak emitted over his shoulder and he had a dreadful feeling the kid had indeed returned to take their orders. Whoops? He spun slowly and found poor Brian looking one part heartbroken and three parts terrified. Definitely whoops.

"That's just, umm, part of the next Nikki Heat," he attempted weakly. Beckett shook her head at him looking utterly perplexed at his choice of lie. Not so smooth. "This is Nikki Heat," he added, gesturing wildly at Beckett. She scowled at him. Oh. "What I should say is this is Kate Beckett, the inspiration for Nikki Heat…" Still Beckett and Brian were staring at him in what could only be described as abject horror. "I'll, umm, get the salmon, thanks. Beckett, what are you getting again?" From the way she was looking at him, he wouldn't have been surprised if her answer was _out of here_. She glanced sympathetically at Brian, who had not moved to take down Castle's order.

"I'd like the duck, thanks Brian." The embarrassed teen nodded unblinkingly and started to step forward, she grabbed his wrist gently. "Sorry about that," she added ruefully, her eyes darting in Castle's direction. Brian drew a ragged breath and uttered an indecipherable syllable of acceptance and retreated in a daze.

Castle was mortified. Absolutely mortified. Not so much at what he had said, it was true. More so that he had embarrassed Beckett. He was a fool. He felt the urge to tell her so.

"I am so mortified, Beckett. I am so sorry," he babbled, supplicating her for forgiveness with his gaze.

"Hush, Castle."

"But seriously, I am outraged with myself," he continued, sure she was shushing him because she was so annoyed.

"Castle," she hissed. "Stop talking about it, I don't want to burst out laughing while poor Brian is still within earshot."

"Wait. What?" Castle gaped at her.

"Oh, Castle. You should've seen his face. You had your back to him, but my god, it was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. His expression. Oh man. There's just no describing it." Her eyes were shining with mirth, her lips forming a huge smile. She pressed her fingers to her mouth in an attempt to rein it in.

"I have never been so attracted to anyone, ever," Castle breathed, eyes wide with wonder. With that, her careful restraint was gone. She let loose a pearl of laughter that had her clutching at her sides and tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. This was the strangest date ever, but that made it all the more Castle- _ish_ and she found herself even more into him as a result of it. He was right when he'd said to her earlier that there was never a dull moment with him. He brightened everything in her life sufficiently. He had a way of turning the mediocre into the wildest adventure. She leaned across the table and kissed him once more, still laughing a little around the edges. She pulled back and rested her forehead against his for a moment, catching her breath.

That was it for him. He was so damn in love with her. Probably too early to mention it. Nonetheless, he was gone, no turning back. He was surprised at the intensity, the overwhelming wave of emotion. He had to bite the words back to stop them from spilling over.

"I'm really glad we're doing this, Beckett," he said instead and she looked like she understood.

"Me too," she sighed, pressing her lips to his softly once more before settling back into her seat.

The food arrived quicker than anticipated. Beckett had the distinct impression that poor Brian had put a rush on it to get them out of there quicker than the usual turnover. It took everything she had not to return to fits of laughter with the thought.

Her phone rang, partway through dinner and she glanced at Castle apologetically. She made no move to answer it. After several moments it pinged again, signalling a message. Castle brushed her frown off the wave of his hand.

"Check it, I don't mind. It might be the boys, something important," he shrugged. Beckett pulled it from her clutch and grimaced. One missed call from Tom Demming. One new message from Tom Demming. She frowned. Maybe he wasn't very good at breakups? She ignored the call, no way was she calling him back, but curiosity got the better of her and she clicked into the message. She was eager to be done with him once and for all.

"Oh crap," she exhaled as her eyes scanned the message. Castle eyed her speculatively. She handed him her phone and his eyebrows slipped into his hairline.

"Who is Gina and why the hell did you give her my number?" Castle read aloud. "From Demming?" he added, confused.

"My girl's day with Gina," she smirked, air quotations on display. "Her ploy was trying to convince me how wonderful Demming sounded. So, I turned the tables on her and said I'd love to set them up. I gave her his number. I was not anticipating her to act on it," she mused with a nervous chuckle. Whoops.

It was Castle's turn to lose it. He roared with laughter. The table wobbling as his frame was wracked with deep belly laughs.

"Gina will hit on anything with a pulse," he sighed, dabbing at the corner of his eyes. "This is by far the most spectacular date I've ever had, Beckett." Castle handed her back her phone.

"I'm just going to ignore that," she murmured, slipping her phone back into her purse.

"Beckett," Castle implored, very seriously all of a sudden. "Are you done with your meal? I think we should go because I am very sorely tempted to ravish you at this table, here and now and I really don't think I can hold out much longer." She arched her eyebrows at him in response and pushed her plate away.

"I'm done. I just want you Castle," she grinned.

The bill, the short walk to the waterfront hotel, checking in, riding the elevator, it was all a blur. Castle pushed the door to the room open and there it was, _their moment_.

She was almost going to say that they should wait, that they should take it slow and not put out on the first date. But, they'd had two years of foreplay as it was and she was tired of waiting. The door latched closed behind them with a decisive thud and she launched herself at him.

 **AN: As per usual my sincerest apologies for being an atrocious updater! Work has been beyond busy this last couple of weeks, but I have some time now and should have the epilogue up within the next week! As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I can't believe so many people have found this story. I am grateful for all of you.**


	18. Chapter 18

" _Summertime, summertime, summertime  
I gotta get that feeling  
Summertime, summertime, summertime  
I gotta get that feeling_

 _Nobody loves you  
The way that I do  
The way you shine through  
Gold in the summertime"_

 _\- Matt Nathanson_

… _ **One year later…**_

Beckett ran her fingers through her hair with a muted growl of frustration. This week was taking forever in the worst way possible. She'd have to apologise to the boys again, she had been beyond grouchy all week. This morning Ryan had noticeably flinched when she entered the bullpen and she was hit with a wave of remorse. In an attempt to soothe the tension, she'd pushed them out the door for an early weekend with the promise that she'd finish up the paperwork without them.

That had turned out to be a win-lose situation for her. Ryan and Espo left chipper and seemed very forgiving of her wildly unpredictable irritability. On the downside, the paperwork had only settled her into an even more morose mood than she figured was humanely possible. It was the kind of funk that made the sharp summer day seem gloomy and overcast.

The one thing that she was certain of was that she was over the city. She had other places to be. Places that were guaranteed to lift her mood. She scrawled her signature angrily on one final court document and slammed it onto the done pile with a huff of air. Finally finished. She glanced at her watch and scrunched up her forehead with a groan. Great. An hour later than she wanted to be leaving. She'd been too busy to even start the errands she wanted done before she packed. It looked as if she was going to be in for a painfully long evening. Her mood improving was going to have to wait.

Another downcast glance at the time reminded her that she wasting it. She filed the paperwork quickly and rushed to the elevator. By the time she reached street level she had decided that a caffeine fix was the only accessible solution to take the sting out of her atrocious day.

The café door tinkled cheerily as she pushed past it. Her scowl intensified. She sucked a deep breath of ground coffee beans and attempted to mask her current hate for the world. The scent did the trick – somewhat. She struggled to rearrange her expression to politely disinterested as opposed to menacingly standoffish.

The youthful male barista eyed her appraisingly as she fronted the counter. He threw her a megawatt smile. She bared her teeth, finding grimace the closest expression to a smile that she could muster. His smile faulted and he stumbled around asking for her order. She mumbled her regular and gave her name before retreating to a small table nearest to the counter to wait.

The door tinkled again announcing another customer. She listened to the rumble of the man placing his order. He turned away from the counter and his eyes travelled the room. The café was small and experiencing somewhat of an end of the day rush. Most tables were full and patrons chatted chirpily with one another. She felt his gaze drift to her and the empty seat at her table. He caught her eye and offered a friendly smile. He was one of those overly handsome types. Tall, a warn leather jacket stretched over his shoulders, a bike helmet hanging from his hand. He was probably traditionally _her_ type to be honest. Although, her type had changed significantly over the past year.

He strode towards her and gestured at the seat.

"May I?" he queried, his tone laced with charm. She nodded her tacit approval and he slipped into the chair. "Thanks, I'm Josh." He extended his hand to her. She shook it perfunctorily.

"Kate," she murmured.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Castle could feel his daughter and mother becoming increasingly frustrated with him as each day passed. It had been a rough week to say the least. He owned them an apology dinner or two when his foul mood lifted. He knew exactly what would lift his mood, but unfortunately that was still – he checked the time on his phone with a scowl – over twenty-seven hours and forty-three minutes away… and _that_ was allowing seven minutes leeway for traffic.

It was taking much too long, much, much too long. He was going crazy. He'd snapped at his mother over nothing this morning and she'd eyed him in a manner that was both sympathetic and condescending. His daughter had taken to avoiding him and reading sprawled on a towel down by the shore. She usually perched in the beach chair beside him and helped him brainstorm plot points when he got stuck. He was definitely stuck now. Half the point of this week had been additional time to write. Plus, his girlfriend insisted, that despite loving his family wholeheartedly that it might be good for them to spend some quality time together while she remained working in the city. Some quality time that turned out to be, with him sniping and snapping at every available moment. He'd been an arse all week. He owed Alexis a pony. Or at least something equally grandiose in nature.

He checked the time again. He was down to twenty-seven hours and forty-one minutes. He was fairly certain he was going to begin releasing steam from his ears at this rate. He needed a new plan to pass the time. He pouted momentarily about the hopelessness of finding a way to return to his cheery self when inspiration struck him. He would drive back to the city today, stay with her tonight and drive her out to the Hamptons tomorrow instead of sending the car for her. Plus, as an extra bonus, they would be reunited in her family-free apartment without the prying eyes and Alexis' jabs about counselling. Perfect. It was their anniversary weekend and damned if he was going to spend a second of it away from his Kate.

His mother and daughter shared a knowing smile as he hustled out the door with a rushed promise that they'd be back tomorrow (and an unspoken understanding that he'd be much less grumpy by then).

He texted the Ryan from the outskirts of the city who confirmed that Beckett was likely still at work. He was almost heartened to hear that she had been as testy as him all week. She was secretly a massively hopeless romantic just like him. She hated the space as much as he did. Something he never would have guessed about her initially. She was such a sweetheart.

Castle was almost at the doors to the precinct when he paused. He should bring something. A peace offering of sorts for showing up unexpectedly when she was trying to get her work squared away for the weekend. He hoped that she was mad _like_ him over being apart, not mad _at_ him for leaving early for their summer vacation. He knew exactly what he needed to come bearing. It was customary after all. He swung around and hurried down the block to a little coffee shop that he frequented regularly.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Josh was leaning towards her keenly. She settled back in her chair to widen the space between them. She caught a flash of the blue of scrubs beneath his jacket as he ogled her without pretence. She felt her hand instinctively rise to cover the small slip of cleavage that her shirt revealed. He was giving off the air that she should be flattered because he was showing interest in her. Honestly, in another life she may have been. He seemed like a genuine enough guy. He noticed her gaze catch on his uniform and shrugged.

"I'm a surgeon," he smiled proudly. "What did you do?" Clearly he was eager to continue conversing. Beckett was eager for her coffee to come. Still, couldn't hurt to be polite, albeit with an air of disinterest.

"I'm a detective. Homicide." She thought about flashing her badge, but couldn't be bothered. Who really cared if he believed her or not.

"Woooow," he released a slow whoosh of breath. "Noble line of work, I like that," he added with an enthusiastic nod. She smiled curtly in reply.

"Beckett," called the barista, sloshing a takeaway cup onto the bench.

"That's me," Beckett nodded towards the caffeine screaming her name and rose from her chair. "See you," she added with a soft smile.

"Wait – " the doctor panicked, clearly running out of time to pick her up, deciding his best option was following her to the counter.

"Josh," the barista bellowed, startling the man who was now practically right in front of him. He grabbed at the coffee impatiently and turned to find Kate's back to him, quickly adjusting the lid of her drink.

Beckett turned, planning to gracelessly reject any advances and found him in much closer proximity than she realised. His hand was raised to grab her arm and gain her attention. Her precious, precious coffee connected with his outstretched arm. The lid still loose. It spiralled and Beckett watched it fall to the floor in slow-motion like agony. It splashed her blouse as it went, patches of coffee stinging her skin. Josh's face crumpled.

Beckett plucked a handful of napkins from the counter and dabbed at her shirt. She huffed a very contained frustrated breath of air.

"Let me buy you another one," Josh pleaded. Beckett shook her head.

"I don't have time," she sighed.

"Here, take mine," he insisted, extending it to her. Another shake of her head.

"No. Thank you."

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Castle loved this café. It was a coffee haven. Steam billowed as you walked inside and the scent of fresh coffee overpowered his senses. The little tinkle the door emitted alerted the barista to his presence and their eyes met in a smile.

Before he could make his way to the counter to order a call of, _"Beckett,_ " captured his attention. He swung his gaze to the far end of the counter and there she was. _His girlfriend_. He felt himself puff with pride and he beamed. The first genuinely happy emotion he had experienced in a week.

He felt his smile slip as a tall, dark and handsome man followed his girl to the counter. The tension eased as the man collected the next order and Castle figured maybe he was wrong about him pursuing Beckett. That thought was short lived though, when the stranger managed to throw Beckett's coffee all over her and the floor. Castle wondered with mild interest if she would throw her cuffs on him for that. Seemed like a legitimate course of action.

Castle figured he better swing into action. He hurriedly re-placed Beckett's order with the barista and strode towards her.

He stepped within earshot just in time to hear –

"Please, let me give you my number and I'll buy you another coffee when you have the time then," from the life juice – _coffee_ – wasting man. Castle snorted derisively at that. _Unlikely buddy_ he thought. It seemed Beckett echoed his sentiments as she began to refuse him.

"No, really it's fine. Goodbye, Josh," her tone was firm yet kind. He opened his mouth to protest, but the barista beat him to it.

"Order for Castle," he trilled. Beckett's head whipped around so fast she practically got whiplash. Her eyes locked onto his, the confusion quickly morphing to joy. She lunged at him and he took the last few steps towards her. He opened his arms and she moulded into them, her face lighting up. He gripped her tightly and felt her entire body relax.

"Hi Beckett," he murmured into her hair. She pulled back so that she could look at him.

"Castle," she sighed, relief colouring her tone. She tipped her face towards his and chastely pecked his lips. He couldn't help himself, his hands rose to knot through her hair and he pulled her back in, kissing her soundly. PDA be damned.

"That coffee's yours," he nodded at the counter. Beckett gazed at him in pure adoration.

"I love you. _So_ much," she clutched at the coffee desperately, taking a slow sip. "Mmm."

"I know," Castle chuckled. "Come on, I'll help you pack."

"How'd you know I hadn't even started," Beckett grumbled, allowing Castle to lead her away with interlocked hands. As they reached the door, Castle threw a sympathetic glance over his shoulder to the stranger standing beside the spilled coffee, seeming at a loss. His expression perplexed at the sudden turn of events. Poor guy, Castle thought, a year ago he might have had a shot. But now, not a chance.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Packing turned out to be a difficult feat for the pair of them. Castle seemed much more adamant at taking clothes off her than putting them into her suitcase. She wasn't really in the mood to protest about that either. They were both a little more than counterproductive.

"Happy anniversary weekend," Castle murmured as he held her in his arms, sated and more than just mildly content.

"One year," she smiled, he could feel the curve of her lips pressed into his chest.

"Remember our first time?" he chuckled.

"Not something I ever plan on forgetting," she replied dryly. She traced the planes of chest and giggled. "I remember the second time too… and the third… and the fourth…"

"I get the picture," Castle laughed.

"Admittedly the fifth time's a little blurry," Beckett teased.

"What?" he mentally calculated. "Oh, with the whisky. That one's seared into my brain. You don't remember it?"

"The whisky," she agreed.

"Yeah…" he reiterated, a touch confused.

"No, I mean the whisky is why it's a little blurry," she grinned.

"I think attempting a shot for every case we'd ever worked together was probably foolish after two years worth," he mused.

"We should try for three," she smirked.

"As I recall, you were the one struggling to hold your liquor, Beckett," he gaped at her. She grinned deviously.

"It doesn't hurt to try."

"I think it could hurt very much the next day," he reminded her. She winced, flashing back to the memory. Lucky Martha was a more than competent Bloody Mary connoisseur.

"Look at you with the logical points. That's out of character," she simpered.

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes, apparently he'd adopted some key Beckett's traits over the time they'd shared together.

"I thought so."

"Beckett?" his tone edged at exasperated, all an act, he could never be fed up of her.

"Rick-k-kk," she teased out the _k_ , clicking her tongue slowly over it.

"Our first time?" he prompted, drawing the conversation back to his earlier question.

"Would you like the play-by-play?" she entreated him, mock solemnity lacing her voice.

"Uh… Yes," he replied breathily.

"Oh," she laughed, clapping a hand over her mouth as it dropped open. "Okay," her jaw set with a determined grin. "You know, we might as well go full re-enactment if that's what you're in the mood for," her eyes set with a wicked glint.

He felt his throat dry and he gulped nervously. He managed a ridiculously exaggerated nod. Her replying smile was dazzling. He was momentarily blinded by it and lost the majority of his cognitive functioning. All non-essential really, when his lower brain, the one below his waist, was technically doing all the key thinking in this moment.

Beckett pushed back the sheets and climbed from the bed. If they were going to re-enact this right, then the bed was nonessential for the time being.

"Castle," she beckoned. "We need to start this by the door," she nodded.

"Oh, right. Right." More nodding. Castle, with all the grace of a car crash, rose from the bed, catching his ankle in the sheets and tipping precariously floor-wards. Thankfully, the most delicate bone in his wrist caught his fall and a flash of pain ricocheted up his arm. "Ouch," he grumbled. In an even more precise movement, that took his earlier grace from small ding to several car pile-up, he tried to save his wrist from even more pain and pulled it out from under him. This resulted in the crown of his head coming to meet with the floor instead. Definitely akin to a multiple car smash. Such coordination. He pulled himself together as Beckett struggled to rein in a cacophony of giggles. Silent tears streamed down her face and she swallowed her laughter. _Oh Castle_. He managed to right himself and shot her a goofy smile as he self-consciously ambled over to her. "Whoops," he chuckled, embarrassed. He ran his hand through his hair as if to smooth down his shame.

"You know what, Castle?" she practically drawled. He eyed her speculatively, daring her to make fun of him in his moment of ill-functioning gross motor skills. "I am _so_ impressed with your dedication to this re-enactment… You've really nailed that initial nervousness you had going on the first time we slept together. You're a real master of the craft." He stared at her stunned.

"Oh, ah. What can I say? I'm dedicated alright."

"I'll say," she beamed.

"I plan on remaining as dedicated to the rest of the performance, Beckett," he growled, finding the moment. He crowded her towards the door, only stopping when the soft _oomphf_ indicated her back was flush with it. He gazed at her momentarily before pressing his lips to hers, attempting to convey that original sense of awe and tentative affection that marked their first date.

Her hands made fast work of his belt. Desperate and oh so needy as that had been that first time, but he could sense the familiarity that came with time. She no longer fumbled around, trying to work his button. It came easily, her focus entirely on his lips, she didn't have to pull back and glance down at her hands with a huff of frustration. It was seamless, a movement of muscle memory.

It was the same for him, his hands deftly unbuttoned her blouse, pushing it back over her shoulders without pausing. Their first night, he kept dragging his mouth away to mutter a request for permission for every item of clothing that he removed. It seemed that was no longer necessary. It was natural. He could unclasp her bra without hesitating. Despite the regularity of it all, he still marvelled at her beauty at every available moment. He gently tugged the lace from her breasts, making no secret of his admiration. He tugged his lips softly away from hers with pop. He drank her in, unashamedly, his hands following his eyes to brush across her chest.

"The staring is creepy," she teased.

"You love it," he husked.

"I love you," she amended, pushing his jeans to pool at his feet and raking her hands over his arse.

"I love you too," he sighed, mirroring her move and sliding her pants down her thighs.

"Mmm," she smiled, jerking his shirt impatiently from his torso. Clothing no longer an obstruction, he pressed her tighter to the door as she locked her legs around his waist. They moved messily together, saving the foreplay for round two. Their first time had been rushed, the need to _finally_ have their way with each other the driving force. It hadn't mattered, the following rounds had come in quick succession. She had a feeling that this night would be a repeat of that.

 _XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Sunlight pushed softly through the window and Castle stirred, tightening his arm around Beckett with a grunt. His movement dragged her to life and she opened her eyes. The bleariness that had characterised the entire week was gone, replaced with a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed feeling of relaxed elation. She was on vacation. _Finally._ She didn't want to waste another second in the city. She wanted to get to the Hamptons and his – _their_ – family.

"Ca-aa-stle," she poked him playfully. Nothing. She added a little more grunt to it, shoving more than poking now.

"Ouch," he grumbled, his tone heavy with sleep. Beckett found it undeniably sexy. The things that man did without even trying. Not that she'd tell him, his ego could do without the inflation.

"Time to go," she nuzzled his neck affectionately, before turning her attention to nibble on the lobe of his ear as he steadfastly clung to sleep. She bit him again, laving her tongue over the injured flesh as she went.

"Oww… ouch," Castle muttered again, swatting his hands towards her, eyes still closed. "Pest," he hissed. Beckett rolled her eyes despite knowing full well that Castle couldn't see it. He was killing her vacation vibe with all this sleeping in… She knew he would argue the opposite, that sleeping in was conducive to vacation time, but in this instance he would be wrong. After all, they weren't truly on vacation until they were at the beach feasting on marshmallows. Fact.

"Ca-aaaaaaaaa-stle," she whined. "Get up. It's time to go. I want to show you my new bikini." His eyes flickered open with that.

"New bikini?" he repeated. She bit her bottom lip and nodded, letting her hair frame her face. The classic look of seduction when it came to Richard Castle. "Oh," he gasped. "Okay. I'm awake. Let's go." He shuffled from the bed and she heard the shower start moments later and steam begin to billow from the door. She trailed in his wake, finding the glass door still ajar in anticipation of her following him. She kissed him sweetly before reaching for her toothbrush. Morning breath was never a turn on.

She prodded him to shower quickly, eager to hit the road. He trudged down the stairs behind her, recognising that time spent waiting for the elevator was time she was not willing to waste. The drive passed by seemingly quickly, Beckett revelled in the sunlight bouncing from the dash and warming her skin. No sooner had the tires crunched through the gravel, the front door was flung open and a flash of red hair erupted.

"I missed you, Kate," Alexis squealed into her ear, engulfing her in an enthusiastic hug. "Dad was incorrigible _all_ week," she added with a sigh. Beckett laughed and tightened her embrace momentarily before releasing the girl so that she could peck a kiss on her father's cheek.

"Missed you too, Lex. Believe me, I've been no better than your dear old dad this week either," she grinned.

"Oh I know," Alexis giggled. "Lanie has been texting me."

"Of course," Beckett shook her head with a wry smile.

"I've made you guys brunch," Alexis added, tugging Beckett through the door. Castle slung her bag over his shoulder and followed his girls inside. He found them on the patio, a generous spread covering the table. He pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek and sat down beside her.

"Richard, Katherine, lovely to see you kiddos," Martha articulated. "Has Alexis told you about our unexpected encounter from yesterday evening?" The redhead jangled as she spoke, the jewellery lining her arms dancing with the movement of her hands. Alexis released a steady groan, lowering her head into her hands momentarily.

"Not yet?" Castle replied. "Should I be concerned?" he eyed Alexis inquisitively.

"It was a terrible moment of déjà vu," his daughter sighed in response. Castle prompted her to continue with an arched brow. "Grams and I went for a walk along the beach around twilight…" she paused, a slight shudder rippling through her as she prepared to relive the memory. "It was last year all over again," she cringed. "Guess who we ran into?"

"Who?" he replayed her words. "No…"

"Yes," Alexis nodded solemnly.

"What is she doing here?" Castle groaned.

"Entertaining," Martha snickered.

"What does that mean, Mother?" he glared.

"Remember that young up and coming author?" his mother grinned.

"No," Castle gasped.

"So, what you're saying is that Gina is staying in the Hamptons with Alex Conrad?" Beckett clarified knowingly.

"Yes," the Castle clan answered in unison.

"As long as you didn't invite her, I'm happy," Beckett smirked.

"I'm not ever making that mistake again," Castle growled. "You know what, I have a story from the city for you two," he beamed at his daughter and mother.

"Go on," Alexis nudged.

"I interrupted a meet-cute between Beckett and some smug doctor," he groused teasingly.

"Oh Rick," Beckett shoved him playfully, a little embarrassed he'd decided to share her awkward encounter with his family. "He didn't have chance," she laughed.

"Don't I know it," he beamed glowingly.

It was true, there never was a chance. Not for Gina. Not for doctor motorcycle boy. No one else had a chance. It would be the two of them. That was it. Beckett piled a heaping of scrambled eggs onto her fork and smiled at the scene before her. The ocean stretched out in front of them, every shade of blue and green more picturesque than the last. The salty air caressed her skin, reinvigorating her joy. The man she loved sat beside her, his hand resting on her thigh, tracing meaningless patterns as he talked and laughed with his family. The young redhead she considered part friend, part daughter sat to her other side, shooting her a knowing look every time her father mentioned something verging on ridiculous. The mother figure she so valued, but didn't fully realise how much she needed sat across from her mercilessly ribbing her son as they chatted. She was happy. Truly content. Happy anniversary weekend indeed. There was no feeling like summertime with the Castle's, it was golden.

" _The city streets glow_ _  
_ _Gold in the summertime"_ _  
_ _\- Matt Nathanson_

 **AN: I realise some of the timelines in this chapter are a little off, but just go with it! Thank you for joining me that on this journey that turned out infinitely larger and longer to complete than I anticipated. I would highly recommend checking out the song that this story is inspired by (and all Matt Nathanson's music for that matter).**

 **If you enjoyed this story, please check out my older stuff. I would particularly recommend '** _ **Sealed Lips**_ **' and '** _ **One Writer Girl**_ **'. I have a few one-shots in mind that I'd like to get out someday soon(ish) as well as another multi-chapter fic in the works (given how atrociously I updated this story I may try write that one in completely in advance before publishing so it could be a while before it's up).**

 **Once again, thank you all for sticking with me on this story! I appreciate you all for reading, reviewing, etc. I'm still mourning how all this Castle business went down this year so your support has been especially meaningful. Thank you!**


End file.
